Blood Only Glows in the Dark
by Chaos Chao
Summary: COMPLETE AT LAST! AU with Shonen ai warning: ...Lightning comes from the gods, right? Rain is the tears of the gods, and so on...
1. 1

**_(NOTE 3/8/06: Chapters have been restored to their original order! Assuming nothing ELSE goes wrong, here ya go!)_**

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Hiya, folks. New stuff from me. Sorry about the lack of real paragraphs and all that, there's still a lot of cockroaches in this new editing thing. No real biggie, though.

Now that that's settled, try and enjoy this fic of mine please! Sorry if its confusing, this is mostly one person's POV. Try and guess whose!

(Or ignore guessing because you already know. Your pick)

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh

Claimer: I own whatever I make up

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.. 

The smallish boy watched the building anxiously. He wanted so much to be in there, to be near the object of his affections, but he knew better than to try walking in. He sighed and ran a hand through his spiky tri-colored hair, checking his concealment again to be certain.

Not even the boy could see him, and he was satisfied. Those thoughts and others fled when the bell rang and the students were dismissed. He waited, watched…there! There was the boy that so occupied his thoughts. He watched the child with fondness, his eyes trailing over features as familiar as his own. They were almost identical to his own, in fact.

Except that the boy's blond bangs hung completely limp, and his eyes were wide and trusting, their amethyst gaze innocent and endearing. He was talking and laughing with his blond friend, and the other brunette boy seemed to be teasing the latter. It was a very heart-warming scene, with exactly one problem in Yami's opinion - besides the fact that he wasn't in it.

The girl, that was the problem. The brown-haired girl was walking with them, and from what Yami could see his target was practically fawning over her, though she pretended not to notice.

He could practically see the look of predatory satisfaction she wore, though she kept it hidden. He was extra careful to stay out of sight when the group passed. He held his breath when the boy's gaze turned to his direction.

Even though it was only for a brief moment, and he wasn't actually looking at him, it still sent a shock down his spine.

As soon as they passed out of hearing, Yami slapped himself. He was only supposed to watch over the boy, that had been the deal.

He got released from his ancient prison, and in return he was supposed to watch over the boy and make sure he played his pre-destined role without outside interference or self-suspicion. He had taken the job, glad for any reason whatsoever to be set free, and not until after he had first seen his charge did a _slight_ problem become evident to him.

He had fallen for the boy almost instantly, and now began having some doubts of his Master's intentions. And the others weren't exactly helping matters.

There was the boy with the long white hair, for example. In him was locked a spirit similar to himself - in fact, he had known the spirit before being sealed away. This child was completely unaware, having no idea what was sealed away inside of him…which was just as well, considering.

Yami waited for the street to clear before leaving the safety of his hiding place and following his target.

He got ahead of them, and waited as they all went their separate ways. The girl walked off very quickly, and though Yami wanted to trail her and find out her hidden agenda, he was bound to follow the boy.

Besides, he could see a pair of punks lying in wait a good ways up the street the boy was going down. He smirked, and went up ahead to fix the problem. They were muttering to themselves, having noticed the boy headed their way.

"We can have a little fun with him," one was saying when Yami appeared behind them.

"Personally, I think that's a bad idea," He said.

"Huh? Where the fuck did you come from?"

Yami didn't answer, merely gave them a twisted, eerie smile and walked down the alley. As he expected, they followed him, demanding that he answer them.

As he walked, Yami concentrated, casting a spell that would keep the boy from seeing the fight that was about to ensue. As soon as the spell was in place, he stopped and pivoted, catching the punks by surprise.

"Dammit, what the fuck do you think you're doing!"

"Are you afraid?" Yami asked, his voice quiet.

"Me scared of you? Don't make me laugh! You're no threat ta me, shrimp!" The other guy sneered.

"Yeah, small fry like yous ain't even worth our time!"

"Is that so?"

Yami knew he had to get this over with quick, since undoubtedly the boy had already passed this area. The punks realized it too.

"Oh well, since you're offerin' ta be our new punchin' bag…"

With that little warning they charged in and started swinging. Yami dodged their blows like they were amateurs. Yelling in anger, they tried again, running straight into Yami's fists.

They reeled back in agony, allowing Yami a free shot at both their heads at once. He observed them carefully afterwards, as they lay stretched out on the pavement.

He would normally have killed them, but now that he could get a good look at them he saw they were about the same age as the one they had been planning to attack. That brought the boy's face into his mind again, causing Yami to curse under his breath.

He used his magic to mess with their minds, so that when they woke up they wouldn't remember a thing. Then he dispelled the barrier that concealed the alleyway before heading after his charge.

The boy made it to his home without further trouble.

…


	2. 2

**_(NOTE 3/8/06: Chapters have been restored to their original order! Assuming nothing ELSE goes wrong, here ya go!)_**

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Ah, reviews (as in plural) are oh so nice.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh

Claimer: I own plotline and made-up things like that

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That night found Yami on a rooftop across the street. The boy had gone to bed a few hours ago, and so Yami sat and brooded while he waited for dawn. He was still feeling a bit muddled over the events that afternoon. 

After a few hours he let his mind wander somewhat. But a noise behind him pulled him from his reverie. He stood and faced the man behind him. The tall, thin figure stood mostly concealed in the shadows, and Yami resisted the urge to shiver under the man's icy gaze.

"It is good to see you hard at work," the figure said, then continued without further preamble.

"The boy still suspects nothing?"

"He is unaware, as you ordered," Yami said.

"Good. But a change in plans has arisen."

"A change?" Yami asked warily.

"You shall continue to watch over him, but he must become isolated. Drive away the others. Strange occurrences will be happening, so use them as a distraction."

Yami blinked. He didn't have a clue about what was going on with his dubious employer. But still, he nodded.

"What of the girl?"

"Yes, she has gotten too close to him," the shadowy figure said.

"I will deal with her. You start with the others."

Yami nodded again, and the figure melted into the shadows and disappeared. Yami immediately made his way over to the home of the boy. He crouched silently outside the window of his room, and watched the small one sleeping.

He was getting desperately confused. He knew he had to follow his orders, but something inside him protested. Yami thought back to when he had first been freed…

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_  
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_There was light. That was the first thing he noticed. He had been locked in the shadowy pit for so long, any light was a beautiful and wondrous sight - even if it was only a stub of candle._

_He looked around. He had a sneaky suspicion that he hadn't been released from the oh-so-accurately named HellPit out of the goodness of somebody's heart, and he was right. There in the corner was a shadowy figure._

_"At last we meet," said the figure._

_"Who are you?" Yami demanded._

_"I am the one that has released you from your prison. That is all you need to know."_

_The figure moved forward, still keep it's features hidden from sight._

_"Why have you done so?"_

_"You would rather I had left you in there?"_

_Yami scowled._

_"Very well, since it appears that you have no patience for pleasantries, I have freed you to offer you a deal."_

_"What kind of deal?"_

_"It is simple. You do a task for me, and I won't toss you back down the hole I found you in. How does that strike you?"_

_Yami frowned. The shadow's terms were blatantly selfish and downright unreasonable._

_"What sort of task are you speaking of?"_

_"Oh, a rather long term one I would think."_

_Yami thought about that for a microsecond, then replied, "I will accept your deal."_

_"Excellent. I knew I could rely on you."_

_"Now, what is this 'long term' task?"_

_"There is a certain child with a great destiny awaiting him," said the shadow._

_"But he is a target of many powerful factions because of this. I want you to protect him. In complete secrecy, so that he remains unaware of your presence. He must live his life without realizing anything about his destiny. Can you do that?"_

_Yami's face held a dubious look, but he nodded._

_"Excellent. I will take us to him, so that you may begin."_

_With that, the shadow did something and the room faded from around them…_

* * *

Yami came back to himself. The shadow had come to him from time to time after that, to 'check up on the boy', or so he claimed. Yami thought about that. He was always after Yami to 'keep him normal'. 

It was like he was trying to suppress the child's development. And if he wanted him normal, why did he have to isolate him?

"I think there's more to this then I've been told," Yami whispered to himself.

He took a long look at the beautiful sleeping boy. He stirred, but did not awaken.

"I must be getting soft," Yami muttered with a genuine smile, a thing he had not done for centuries.

"See you soon enough, Yugi."

With that, he took off. Inside the bedroom, Yugi opened his eyes slightly, then rolled over and went back to sleep.


	3. 3

**_(NOTE 3/8/06: Chapters have been restored to their original order! Assuming nothing ELSE goes wrong, here ya go!)_**

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Not much buzz about this one but okay, I can handle it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh. Just this plot and other made-up stuff.

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Yami leapt from rooftop to rooftop, always watching for signs of trouble. The shadow had said he was going to deal with her, and Yami was fairly certain he was going to do whatever he was planning right now.

He leapt into an alleyway and made his way down it until he was just across the street from the house. He paused to check it out, and afterwards he was very glad he did. It was very faint, but when he checked close enough he could tell the house clearly reeked of dark magical energies.

"I thought there was something wrong with that girl!" He said to himself, then he crossed the street and snuck up to a window.

--

It was one of those wall-length ones, and it was already open. He crept in, masking his own powers as much as he possibly could to avoid detection. The house was dark and cold, and as Yami listened he could hear voices in the next room. He inched his way up close to the door.

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"So, the first phase has been successful?"

It was a male voice, which Yami didn't recognize.

"Of course."

The second voice he knew all too well. It was the girl.

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"I have him wrapped around my fingers. As if some little child like him even had a chance with someone like me."

"That is irrelevant for our purposes. It is almost time to begin the next phase. Once we begin, you can quit the nice-girl act for good."

"Thank the gods for that."

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Yami froze as a sudden series of noises barraged his ears.

"And what do we have here?"

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He relaxed only slightly as he realized they were talking to someone else.

"It appears that our dear friend Shaddu has come by for a visit."

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Yami had no idea who or what they were talking about. But he wasn't too surprised to hear the newcomer's voice as a very familiar one.

"Let me go," came the voice of the shadowy figure Yami knew so well.

"I'm _so_ sorry Shaddu. Did I hurt you too badly?"

The male voice was dripping with sarcasm.

-

"You pathetic pacifistic coward," he began roaring, "I should have realized you were the one behind this slowing down of our operation!"

"As if I would tell you if you even have the right person?" spat Shaddu.

There was a loud slapping sound.

"Enough with the corny heroic stunts," the girl said, "There's nothing you can do to keep us from taking him anyway."

"Y-You fools! You know the legend, as well I do!"

-

"Yes, and since the boy is the key to a great power that I aim to procure, I'd better eliminate you so you don't get in the way with your pathetic attempts at interference any longer!"

Yami sensed a swell in dark magic and left as quickly and quietly as he could, Shaddu's horrible scream ringing in his ears. He caught his breath outside, and could just hear the rest of the conversation.

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"You know, he was never the one to stick his neck out on his own," said the girl.

"You're right on that account. There must have been someone backing him up in this…"

-

The conversation trailed off and Yami took the opportunity to get as far away from that place as he could.


	4. 4

**_(NOTE 3/8/06: Chapters have been restored to their original order! Assuming nothing ELSE goes wrong, here ya go!)_**

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Wow, people (as in plural) like my fic! It makes me feel happy...

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Disclaimer: I do not own stuff not made up by me

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Now he had a whole new problem. Yami was back on his rooftop perch across the street from Yugi's home, thinking hard. With the shadowy 'Shaddu' gone, he no longer had to worry about being sent back into the HellPit for not following the deal. He was free to go and to do whatever he wanted.

In any other situation, dealing with any other mortal, Yami wouldn't have even considered hesitating to leave.

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"Of course, Yugi isn't just any mortal," he murmured to himself. "And this situation is far from normal."

-

He still didn't have a real idea of what was going on, but he was fairly certain Yugi was in danger from something.

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"I could keep up what I was doing, I suppose. At least try to peel him off the girl, anyway."

The more he thought about, the more it appealed to him. It would be best to stay, and he'd get to stay near the boy, although the lad didn't even know he existed.

"Yes, that would be best," he said in satisfaction.

But how to carry it out? The girl and that other voice's owner had an inkling that Shaddu might have had somebody doing exactly what Yami had been doing. They'd be on the lookout, ready to destroy him the instant they figured it out, and that wouldn't do.

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Besides, what was that old saying? The one about hiding in plain sight?

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"Everyone, we have a new transfer student from out of the country. Please welcome Kage Yami."

There was a brief 'hello' from the students sitting at their desks, but the new 'student' didn't care anyway. As the teacher pointed out his seat, Yami just looked among the faces that stared blankly back at him.

The most energy was from the little threesome that had only just noticed him - Yugi and his friends. The girl was in a different class from the boy half the time, and Yami had taken advantage of that to 'arrange' his schedule to be in the same class as Yugi in every subject.

-

He wasn't going to do anything for this first day but get his bearings, and do something else that he didn't particularly want to - make certain nobody liked him, starting with Yugi. Humans seeking companionship would be a definite obstacle.

Glaring fiercely at every curious glance sent his way, the humans were soon all muttering amongst themselves and making indicating noises in his direction. He'd slipped up for a moment before giving Yugi his meanest expression, not liking at all the confused and hurt expression he'd had to place there.

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'Attraction makes these things so much more of a pain in the ass,' Yami thought to himself irritably as the classes finally broke for lunch.

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At least it was working - the girl had seen his little show and shot him a look of pure envy - her 'cover' was being a brainless happy twit and he was acting the way she always wanted to.

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At least he could get some cynical satisfaction out of that, Yami decided as he watched Yugi and his friends from around a tree. He was still supposed to keep an eye on the boy, after all.

Secretly - very secretly - Yami was hoping someone would try something. He needed to kill something.

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It was Yami's lucky day - someone did.

Three very large male humans approached the boy and his little group.

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"Hey, dweebs, you're in our spot! Get lost!"

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"No way, we was here first!"

"And you never sit around here anyway!"

"Well, we're sitting here today," the leader said with a grin, "So either scram, or we'll send ya home crying for yer mommies!"

-

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Yami picked up a rock that was lying on the ground next to him, waited until he was certain nobody was looking, and threw it as hard as he could.

It slammed into the human's head - and broke apart, because it was just a dirt clod. It got the attention of the three of them, and they managed to figure out the clod's trajectory fast enough.

-

"Who's that loser?"

"He's some new shit."

"Maybe we better go introduce ourselves, huh?"

-

They walked over, and although Yami's spirits rose, they sank just as quickly. A public display wasn't such a good idea - he needed to be as human-like as possible - and then Yami realized something that made him almost smirk.

"Hey, jerk, you got a problem with the way your face looks?" One punk said.

"Yeah, it almost seems like you want us ta rearrange it fer ya," the human with dirt still in his hair said.

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"I'm not looking for trouble," Yami said.

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"Well, dat's really too bad," the third human said, "Cause you sho found it!"

The three of them were getting ready to attack before Yami grinned.

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"Try and beat me up in front of the entire school and I'll guarantee the extremely large amount of trouble you'll be in."

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"The dipstick's got a point," the third human said after a bit of thought.

He seemed to have a glimmer of intelligence, Yami noted, as the other two took much longer to figure this out.

"Okay, shrimp, here's how it goes. After school, we're gonna have a little _chat_ in the park. If you don't show up, we're gonna have ta come and look fer ya, and believe me, you don't want dat. You got it, midget?"

-

"I'm looking forward to it," Yami said, in total honesty.

-

As the three punks stormed off, Yami returned to his position behind the tree. As he did, he couldn't help but notice that the boy's face no longer had that hurt expression on it. Whether that was a good thing or a bad one, Yami couldn't be certain.


	5. 5

**_(NOTE 3/8/06: Chapters have been restored to their original order! Assuming nothing ELSE goes wrong, here ya go!)_**

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Am so happy people like my fic.

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Oh, and in case anyone noticed, this fic is no longer rated R. I looked it over again and realized I rated it too high. At least for right now...maybe later I'll kick the rating back up a notch or two...

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Disclaimer: Nothing not invented by me is owned by me. Did that make sense?

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He grumbled as he wiped his hands off on a tree. That had been a messy one, and the one thing Yami disliked the most was having to rush a job because the rushed ones always ended up messy like this.

'At least it looks like something besides a transfer high school student killed them,' he thought to himself before taking off, wanting to be far away before anyone spotted the corpses.

-

He supposed he might have been going a little overboard, but the world was that much better off with those three dead. But now he had to make certain the boy wasn't being attacked or kidnapped while he'd been having his fun. Yami hesitated for a fraction of a second when he realized he still reeked of blood, but he shrugged the notion off.

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'I'm not supposed to be close enough for him to find me with a pathetic human nose anyway.'

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Yami stopped at the boy's home to check first and spotted him, his two human friends and the girl walking away. He followed, leaping from rooftop to rooftop as he paced the group, wondering where they might be going to.

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"I dunno, Anzu," the blond human was saying, "You want us ta come wit ya so ya can buy some flowers?"

"I just want some outside opinions on it," she said, "This is what I'm going to raise for the Flower Show."

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"That's months away!"

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"I guess its better to get started on something like this as soon as possible, right guys?"

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Yami sighed to himself as he heard the boy defending the girl. If she actually participated in something as wimpy-sounding as that, Yami thought, he'd eat his left boot.

-

They made it to the Flower Store and Yami perched out of sight just outside it. The 'store' was actually a block of canopy-tents with plants under them, and a clear tent in the back with more. It would have been possible for him to sneak into this place, like he could into most other places, but plants, like animals, posed a creature such as Yami a problem.

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They could sense things that were 'evil' or 'supernatural', both categories he could easily fit into. The plants would give away any hiding place he might find. So Yami settled for a decent watching post just down the street.

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While he watched the assorted humans gushing over their plants, Yami once again let himself wonder what was so special about the boy under his oblivious protection. Yugi seemed normal enough, though he was actually rather attractive for a human - Yami felt some heat rising in his cheeks as he thought that - so it had to be something else.

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'Hmm…he's the key to a great power…that's what that man said…but Yugi doesn't have any magic worth taking - certainly no more than any other regular human.'

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The boy in question was pointing out some flowers in a sickening shade of florescent orange, and the others were pretending to be interested - the girl even picked a few out to take with her.

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Suddenly, everything seemed to grow _heavy_. Yami's senses swirled before he figured out what was causing that effect - the force of a spell being cast, and a really powerful one too.

Shaking off any lingering dizziness, Yami sprung to his feet and tried to pinpoint the source. He spotted a figure in the shadows of a nearby building, but the person vanished even as Yami watched him. Human screams redirected his attention back to the Flower Shop.

-

"What in the heck IS that?"

"Help! Mutant plants on the loose!"

-

The plants hit with the spell were growing and moving, and all of them were vicious. A few humans cried out as vines encircled around their waists and lifted them over ever-increasing toothy maws.

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Some ran. Others tried, as foolish as it was for humans to do so, to yank down the vines and free the captured ones. One of those humans captured was the blond friend of the boy, who had gotten into this mess as he tried to free one of the other captured humans by grabbing onto the vine, only to find another wrapping itself around his leg. The boy himself was risking his safety in the exact same way in hopes of a more successful rescue.

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Cursing everything he could think of Yami got as close as he could to the chaos and flung some of his magic from his fingertips, the bolts becoming dangerously sharp blades that pierced anything they were aimed at.

All the humans saw of it were that some of the vines broke, sending anything in them to the dirt. A few humans working together managed to rip off another vine and freed the boy.

- 

During all this, another plant, one that looked like a spike-covered and green-colored human finger, swelled up like a balloon before exploding into dozens of smaller creatures that looked like wolves made from leaves and twigs.

These beasts tore after the humans in the area, a few of them actually running down one like a cheetah catching a gazelle. Yami let loose another magic blast at one of the beasts - it burst into flames and died, but it didn't help the human's chances at all.

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'Dammit! What are those things being controlled from?'

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A new power signature appeared to Yami's senses - he tracked it instantly to the girl. She was around some plants at the very edge of the store and he managed to hear what she was saying - 

"It's amazing how much stronger I am! That brat's definitely good for something…"

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Then the plants she was next to grew into giant flesh-eaters like the first wave had been. Yami was confused.

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"That boy is…_what_?"

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'No time to worry about things like that,' he realized. 'I have to find out where those beasts are getting controlled and get rid of it if I want this to end well.'

As he was thinking this, Yami leapt into the chaos of the store and darted around, avoiding humans and plants as best he could while he tried to figure it out.

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Meanwhile, the human's reinforcements had arrived - 'Fire-men'. They used axes on the beasts and that actually seemed to work. Until more beasts showed up.

The 'Fire-men' used high-pressured water hoses to drive the things backwards but it was a losing strategy. And the humans still in the shop were very vulnerable.

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"Dammit! Where are all these -" he paused to blow an attacking beast in half - "Things coming from! There's more of them then there was before!"

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"Dat ting keeps spitting out more monstas, we're toast if we stay over dere!"

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The blond and the brunette rushed past, dragging their smaller friend to safety. None of them noticed Yami, who gave them only one glance to make certain they were alright before rushing in the direction they were coming from.

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'Of all the cases of sheer dumb luck…'

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The trail lead him back to the exploded plant that had released the beasts in the first place. It was still intact, draped with empty fibrous sacks along its outside.

The top was a stem supporting a huge open blossom that kept spurting out globs of a sickly-greenish-colored mass. The mass solidified into one or two beasts every time.

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Yami grabbed the stem, and focused his magic straight into it. His type of power was drawn from the forces of death and destruction, which the living plant-monster couldn't handle being pumped into itself for long.

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It spurted out one more beast - one that was very thorny and all black - before bursting into flames.

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The effect was instantaneous - all the beasts howled once and went berserk, going after the other mutant plants and each other instead of the humans.

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Those that didn't tear each other apart were easily taken care of by the 'Fire-men', and four or three bolted into the rest of the city.

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Those were harmless now, and Yami had a satisfied smirk on his face as he sought the peace and quiet of the nearest roof. Barely hesitating to get his bearings and his breath, he went in search of his charge.

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'So, are these your 'Strange Occurrences', Shaddu?'


	6. 6

**_(NOTE 3/8/06: Chapters have been restored to their original order! Assuming nothing ELSE goes wrong, here ya go!)_**

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And a happy/merry whatever you're celebrating to everybody!

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Disclaimer: Yugioh not owned by me. Everything that I made up is.

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Nothing unusual happened for the rest of the day, or that night, or even the next day and night. The sudden calm and quiet made Yami feel more on edge than if there had been a constant stream of attacks - he was extremely suspicious of it, and didn't sleep during the long nights.

He was beginning to feel the edge of a deep exhaustion creeping over him by the third day after the Plant Shop Incident, but did not let that make him any less vigilant. It was a slow day in school that day - a strain of a human disease known as the 'flu' was going around and most of the class was sick.

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The girl was sick as well, or at least using that as an excuse not to come in today. Yami suspected she and her mysterious cohort were up to something, but he hadn't figured out how to 'call in sick' in time to skip class.

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Oh well, at least it was quieter today. He'd found a reason to hate school as much as anyone else there - it was too damn noisy!

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Plus he'd never been a fan of sitting for nine hours watching other people show off their complete ignorance in front of a crowd of people with the same amount of brain cells or less.

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Since fate worked in strange and mysterious ways purely for its own fiendish amusement, the day the most people were out sick was the day the entire class was going to receive a 'special arts lesson', that required a field trip to the nearest park. Each student was supposed to sketch a landscape on a canvas.

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As soon as the materials were handed out, everyone scattered. Most of them hung out in small groups with their friends, or if they wanted to be alone they sat by themselves until another loner plopped down nearby and they ended up turning into quiet little groups themselves.

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Yami headed as far as he felt like going and sat down, not really interested in the assignment. Art wasn't a big thrill for him. He could appreciate it's value, and enjoy looking at it sometimes, but making more of it wasn't really one of his usual habits.

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Still, he absent-mindedly started on the general lines as he tried to figure out yet again what the girl and her associate were up to. And there might be more in the plot then just them…

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"Um, excuse me…"

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Startled at the sudden voice that intruded on his musings, Yami looked for the owner and suddenly had an urge to run.

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The boy was standing right there! Right next to him! Less than five feet away! He was the one making the speaking noises! And the boy was actually talking to him!

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There was another there as well, the blond idiot, but that one looked like he'd rather sit elsewhere.

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"Um…"

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"Yes?"

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Yami managed to keep his voice level and his face expressionless, but boy was it a struggle.

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"All the other places are full…do you mind…if we sit here to draw?"

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Now, Yami turned so they couldn't his face - the emotions were getting a little too rampant to hide for the moment - and made a non-committal sound. The boy took it as a yes and sat, the blond sitting on the other side of the boy from Yami a minute later.

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Yami, on the other hand, had suddenly found a new passion for his sketch, and focused on it as much as possible. For the first ten minutes, it was silent except for the scratching of charcoal pencils. Yami was even beginning to relax somewhat when the boy spoke again.

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"Um…I don't think we got introduced," the boy said, very tentatively, "At least I don't think so…"

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"Hmm," Yami allowed himself to say. That wasn't too hard.

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"I'm Motou Yugi ."

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"Hmm."

-

"…And this is one of my friends, Jounouchi Katsuya."

-

-

"…Uh, nice ta meet ya?"

-

"Hmm."

-

-

There was a pause.

-

-

"You're called Yami, right?"

-

"What about it?"

-

Yami had his emotions and voice under complete control now, and had actually turned to look at the two humans. He didn't make eye contact, but that was just a habit.

-

-

"Nothing…"

-

-

The boy seemed skittish, but apparently unlike the rest of the humans in school - he didn't really count the girl as human - 'Yugi' was willing to try being social.

-

-

It made Yami nervous for more reasons than one - he was trying not to form interfering social ties that he'd have to break later. But…he could tolerate _some_ social interaction…couldn't he? The same weird fluttery feeling in his stomach that had been bugging him since the first time he'd seen the boy was arguing for it, and it was a persuasive little bastard.


	7. 7

**_(NOTE 3/8/06: Chapters have been restored to their original order! Assuming nothing ELSE goes wrong, here ya go!)_**

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Here is the next chapter. (Obviously) Please enjoy!

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Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh, just this idea and made-up stuff

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* * *

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Yami enjoyed a certain sense of irony that what Yugi and his blond friend Katsuya were talking about on their way home after school was none other than himself.

-

"I don't think talking to him was such a good idea, Yug'. He seemed pretty ticked off!"

"He didn't seem that angry to me, Jou. Just a little uncomfortable - he's only been here a week, you know!"

-

-

It was very amusing, listening to their theories on why he was so unfriendly as they walked along. After they reached Yugi's home, they settled in to watch a 'movie', one that was to last at least two hours.

-

Yami, perched out of sight on the house's roof, found himself with a glorious opportunity for the sleep he couldn't quite fight off anymore.

-

-

And…perhaps he could take a short doze, until the boy's 'movie' was over…if something happened he'd be right here to take care of it, and having some rest would make him better able to function…a sudden burst of magical energy rushing screaming over his senses woke Yami up with a start.

-

-

-

He'd only been asleep an hour plus a few more minutes, which was a little more than he had anticipated. But the magical wave, which was now subsiding, seemed strangely familiar to him.

Before his senses could identify it, it faded as if it had never existed and Yami found himself detecting two _new_ signals.

-

-

-

These ones were close, and coming closer, and soon Yami could see them from his rooftop perch. Two hooded skeletal creatures, one from each direction of the road, were approaching the house. What really interested Yami was how the people walking and driving down the street failed to notice them at all.

-

He, of course, recognized them instantly, and his suspicions reached a whole new level as the pair situated themselves on each side of the door to the house. As Yami watched, the skeletal beings sank into the shadows, and vanished from even his sight into them despite how little shadow there really was.

-

'Dammugs,' he noted silently, 'But who in their right minds would summon those things? Sure, with the right spell they stay invisible to humans, but… If they're here to fetch someone, it's just a waste of magic - even a weakling human could defeat one of those brainless rejects…'

-

As he extended his senses further, Yami realized that these two weren't the only Dammug Beasts in the area. At least another dozen were slinking around the general area, and it wouldn't have surprised him if there were another two score more outside of his range.

-

-

Now he was getting worried. Even though he could still sense their presence, the Dammugs had vanished from sight. And looking deeper, he could sense the intentions of whoever had summoned all of them. They were all waiting for something. But what?

Well, no matter what these things were after, there was a more pressing problem for Yami to tackle first. With all these things around, he was currently outnumbered 30 to 1. And as weak as Dammug Beasts were, you could defeat anyone with them if you had enough of them to throw into the battle. He'd used the tactic himself, ages ago, and knew first-hand just how effective it was.

-

'What are they after,' he thought, referring of course to the girl and her shadowy partner.

-

But the answer still eluded him, as it had countless times in the past few days. He was certain he knew the answer, but it refused to reveal itself. And now Yami was about to run out of time.

-

-

-

-

Questioning all the while about his current level of sanity, Yami left his charge alone as he searched the city high and low, trying to find places the Dammugs hadn't infiltrated yet. Sure, they hadn't noticed him at all, and he could easily move around via rooftops, but if someone else, say a certain human boy, were trying to hide from the Dammug Beasts, they would have considerably less options available.

-

The back alleys provided a solution - the Dammugs were all on main thoroughfares, and there were plenty of alleys honeycombing the city. There were even old warehouses and abandoned buildings back there that the humans had completely forgotten about as well.

-

-

That taken care of, Yami made it back to Yugi's house in time to see the boy and Katsuya deciding to head out. He waited, focusing his senses so hard on the pair of Dammugs by the boy's door that he was almost confused about why they hadn't noticed him, as the two exited the house.

-

The Dammugs…did nothing. Apparently they were not here to abduct the boy…at least not yet. Yami trailed Yugi and Katsuya closely, keeping a very wary eye out for every Dammug Beast he sensed hiding along their path.

-

He also kept his inner eye peeled, in case whoever had arranged all this noticed him after all. It wouldn't protect the boy any better if his only protection was eliminated…although Katsuya and the brunette Yugi called Honda might be able to help out in a pinch. At least until they had their necks broken and their souls eaten, which wouldn't take more than a few minutes.

-

-

It was dusk now, and to Yami's relief - not that he would ever admit it - the boy and the other two humans in question were sleeping at what appeared to be Katsuya's home. That was located in the middle of the human slums, where only four Dammugs were lurking, and the area provided instant access to the alley network.

-

Yami had barely found a perch to watch the house from when his instincts sent him diving into the nearest hiding place. It was a minute before he figured out why - a gargoyle with huge leathery wings landed in the very spot he had just vacated.

-

-

It was watching the house as well, but what was worse - if he moved out of his hiding place it would see him instantly. Secrecy happened to be Yami's sole advantage; he couldn't afford to be found.

-

His current position was inside a air intake vent for the old tenement building he had been standing on top of. He could just barely see out the top, and could clearly see the horns that adorned the back of the gargoyle's head. Something moved in the skies overhead - two, three more - Yami swallowed a particularly venomous curse.

-

There was no way Yami was going to get out the way he had gotten in. Not with four of those gargoyles patrolling the skies. And the rooftops were off-limits now for him, whether by accident or design. He slid down the vent as quietly and as quickly as he could. It was another five minutes of crawling through the vents until he reached one that opened into a empty room.

-

The apartment he was in now was not only unoccupied but also had a window which opened to the back of the building. Hissing under his breath at the window's squeaking while he pried it open, it was a simple matter for him to drop the three stories to the ground and flatten himself against the side of the building.

-

-

This was just getting worse and worse, he decided irritably as one of the gargoyles passed by overhead. Yami crept to a position where he could see the dilapidated house across the street while still keeping an eye out for gargoyles. It was going to be a **long** night.


	8. 8

**_(NOTE 3/8/06: Chapters have been restored to their original order! Assuming nothing ELSE goes wrong, here ya go!)_**

**_0_**

**_0_**

Here is another chapter. Ta-da.

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Hey, you try being happy and perky when YOU go back to college!

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Disclaimer: See other chapters

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Claimer: What she said

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* * *

- -  
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He was right - the next day found him cramped, dead-tired, and extremely cranky. It was only after dawn that the three gargoyles in the skies had departed; there was that one still sitting on the tenement roof, but it couldn't see Yami stretching and working the knotting pains out of his poor, abused back.

He was definitely going to start planning things a hell of a lot better, Yami decided. This was just embarrassing!

- 

Some soon-to-be-damned sense in the back of his head warned him that the human school was starting soon. There would be a lot of people there, with the sickness epidemic over, and an exhausted student would probably get sent home anyway…so Yami carefully made his way into the narrow alleyways and cut through them to get to the school building.

-

-

He didn't actually go _in_, but he watched and made certain Yugi had gotten there. Yugi had - the boy Katsuya had slept in so that all three of them were late and they were going to get an hour's detention after school. The girl was there, but instead of the slight sluggishness the truly formerly sick humans were showing, she seemed energized and ready to put some sort of plan into motion.

-

Yami could sense her irritation when she was informed of the detention, which meant only one thing - whatever she was planning to do with the boy was going to happen today. And it was going to happen as soon as she could grab him without making too much of a public scene. That was how long Yami had left.

-

-

Never had the nine-hour school day seemed so short.

-

-

In his newfound spirit of planning ahead, Yami ducked back into the alleyways and did a serious survey, noting exactly the places one could hide, and any items that could be used as weapons in a pinch.

He also made certain to check out half a dozen places that could be used for safe houses.

-

-

Then, Yami headed back to the school, the nagging inside his head about ignoring his charge too persistent to ignore. And he was about to pass out, vision throbbing…there was no way in the seven hells that he could do anything else without getting some rest.

Yami secured himself in the tree nearest the clock and bell alarm system, hidden securely from all prying eyes, and after making certain he wouldn't fall out accidentally, let himself drop like a stone into slumber.

-

The school day ended five hours later, the bell startling him awake again as he had planned. But since Yugi wasn't coming out for another hour Yami let himself doze as lightly as he dared to, until he could hear the boy's voice.

-

-

"Wow, I thought that detention was going to go on forever," the boy was telling his friend, "And it was all your fault for sleeping in, Jou!"

-

"Aw, cut me a little slack," Katsuya said as he followed, "It ain't every day dat dey show all da Star Wars movies in a row on cable TV!"

-

"I didn't see why we had to watch all of them," 'Honda' continued, "And then you were mumbling like Yoda in your sleep for an hour afterwards! I didn't catch a wink last night!"

-

"What are you talkin' about, I slept great! It was fine!"

-

-

The boy rolled his eyes good-naturedly. During this conversation, the three of them had stopped beside Yami's tree, right below the very branch he was lying on. It had to be sheer dumb luck that the boy's off-handed, totally casual gesture of polite amusement, came at the same time as a stray breeze which blew some of the concealing leaves away from Yami's perch.

-

"Huh? Is there a person in that tree?"

"A person?"

-

"Hey, yeah, there is! I think it's that new guy!"

"But I thought he was out sick today!"

-

Still slightly dozing, Yami didn't really register the change in their conversation until a pebble whapped him the forehead, dead center.

-

-

"Cut that out," he snapped irritably, before noticing exactly what his situation was.

"What're ya doing in dat tree, Yami," Katsuya called back.

-

"…Sleeping…" Yami answered, confused.

"You spent da whole day in a tree, sleeping!"

-

-

"…Is that a problem?" Yami said, hiding his relief.

-

He could talk his way out of this awkward situation if that's what they thought he'd been doing.

-

-

"I can't believe you skipped school to sleep in a tree! And get down from dere! All dis is giving me a crick in my neck!"

-

Happy to oblige, Yami leapt down the whole distance easily. He hid the smirk that threatened to appear when the boys Honda and Katsuya both jumped back in surprise. Yugi, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice anything unusual either way.

"Why were you sleeping in a tree, Yami," Yugi asked.

-

-

"…I like trees," Yami lied.

-

-

"Yeesh. I enjoy a good snooze as much as da rest of em, but in a tree!"

-

"Are you going to be complaining about my sleeping habits for much longer, Jounouchi-san?" Yami inquired, glaring at the hapless blond.

"Who, me? Eh, I ain't complaining! Not me, no way - ya musta been hearing somebody else," Katsuya said with his hands held in the universal signal for surrender.

-

-

There was a moment of uneasy silence, one which Yugi broke.

"Well, since you're here, Yami…" the boy began.

-

"Hmm?"

-

"…Do you…um, you know…do you want to come hang out with us?"

-

-

Yugi blurted out the question, looking and sounding quite nervous. Of all the things Yami had heard so far in his rather lengthy lifetime, somehow that little question topped his personal Weird Question List. And Yami had absolutely no clue what to say in response to it.

-

-

"Uh…"

-

-

And as for the response he was able to make, Katsuya immediately leapt on it as an affirmation.

-

-

"Great! We was gonna check out da arcade, and maybe grab a bite ta eat, and den maybe go see a movie! Let's get going!"

Before he really registered what was happening, Yami was being dragged down the street by Katsuya - pulling him by the right arm - Yugi - pulling him by the left arm - and Honda - who had started pushing him from behind when Yami had managed to splutter a semi-intelligible protest.

-

"Aw, relax, it'll be great!"

"Yeah!"

-

By the time they got to the 'arcade', Yami had finally stopped trying to get away. If this was how the last day of peace and quiet was going to go for him…hey, there were worse things he could be doing. And it wasn't like he was skipping on his duty to watch Yugi.

-

-

Although he wondered if he should reconsider that 'worse' part when he was actually inside the arcade. The large amount of noise and bright flashing lights were very disconcerting for him, a condition that Katsuya and Honda, at least, had little sympathy for.

-

"C'mon over here, Yami! Don't just stand in the door! Play something!"

"Actually…" Yami said, eyeing the exit as he tried to figure out some kind of appropriate excuse.

-

"Yami…have you never played any of these kinds of games before?"

-

Yami had no clue why, but just the fact that Yugi had spoken was more than enough to quell his sharply rising desires to get out of there. Yami privately wondered if being in such close quarters with the boy was somehow affecting his judgmental processes as he turned back.

-

"Ah…yes," he said, not being totally untruthful, "I have never played any of these games before."

And when Yugi tugged him over to one and began explaining it, Yami decided that in the last few hours or so, he'd managed to go completely soft. Not only was that dangerous, it was massively embarrassing…and it was even more so when Yami realized that he was enjoying it.


	9. 9

**_(NOTE 3/8/06: Chapters have been restored to their original order! Assuming nothing ELSE goes wrong, here ya go!)_**

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**_0_**

Snow, Snow, I love it so!

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...Except when I have to shovel it. (sigh)

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Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh

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Claimer: I own made-up stuff that I invented

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* * *

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At least the shooting games were somewhat more proper for someone like him. Fake human blood sprayed out of yet another group of onscreen characters as Yami beat the game easily. And he didn't even like using guns. Guns made killing so…well, so impersonal.

-

The shooting games weren't the only things he had been playing; Yugi especially wasn't overly fond of such obviously violent entertainment, so Yami had also played several other varieties of video game. Yami won every time, but that wasn't really that much of a surprise: he had always had a bit of a knack for this sort of thing anyway.

-

-

Yugi's human friends were busily playing some sort of competitive dancing game, the only game Yami hadn't played yet and the only game which Yami was NOT going to try. He didn't _do_ dancing.

Although it was rather amusing to see Jou fall over like that -

-

'Did I -' he suddenly realized, 'I just did. What is wrong with me? I know the other two call him that nickname, but they're his friends. And I'm…'

-

And this wasn't the first time during afternoon that Yami had felt a sudden urge to get outside, NOW, and get to a place where he could disappear. There might be more than a few hazy places in his memory, but a passionate dislike of things like companionship wasn't something you just forgot about.

-

-

And just like every other time, one look at Yugi - he was also laughing at his blond friend's antics - quelled every single desire Yami had for escape.

-

The weird mental see-sawing that this resulted in finally abated when Yugi and his friends - dragging Yami along with them - left the arcade and began debating where to go next.

-

-

"C'mon, its Friday, lets go see a movie or something!"

"And how are we gonna pay for this movie, Mister I-Lost-All-Our-Money?"

-

"Grrr - shut up!"

-

"Don't fight, you guys," Yugi cut in, "I'm sure there's still something we can do. We might just have to walk around town until we figure it out is all."

"Hey, dats a great idea, Yug'! Hey, Yam', you coming?"

-

"Huh?"

-

-

'Did he just call me 'Yam'?'

"Did Jou just call him 'Yam'?" Honda whispered to Yugi.

-

-

"Well, are you coming with or what?"

-

"We're going to hang out for a while longer," Yugi clarified, "Do you want to hang out with us, or do you need to go someplace…"

Before Yami could even begin to _think_ about answering that, someone yelled to their group from up the street. Looking past the humans, Yami felt his hackles rise.

-

-

"There you are, Yugi! You guys, I went to meet you guys after detention ended and you were already gone! I've been looking all over for you," the girl said as she got closer to them.

-

The girl stood beside Yugi as the humans exchanged hellos. She and Yami exchanged glances, hers of amused curiosity, his of extreme dislike. When she attempted to make eye contact, he diverted his gaze to an entirely different direction and set his features into an impassive - if angry - mask.

-

-

"Anzu! Great timing," Honda greeted the girl obliviously, "We were just trying to figure out what to do next, seeing as our resident Dancing King just lost all our money."

"I already told ya, it wasn't my fault!" Jou yelled, "Get offa my case about it already!"

-

-

"Anzu," Yugi began saying, blushing crimson from the girl's proximity, much to Yami's disgust, "I don't suppose…I mean…can you think of anything interesting around town that we can do?"

-

"Well…," she started, barely mustering enough of a thoughtful expression to cover the look of sheer glee that crossed her features, "I did pass something really interesting when I was looking for you guys. I'm not sure if it'll still be there, but I think its definitely worth checking out."

-

"Really? What is it Anzu?"

-

"When I passed by it, I think they were starting to shut down," she continued, ignoring Jou's question, "But if we hurry, we can still make it! C'mon you guys!"

And with that she grabbed Yugi's hand and started back the way she had come, walking at a quick pace. Yugi managed to blush even harder at the physical contact and Honda followed right after them, but Jou hesitated.

-

"Something ain't right…I don't like dis," Yami was surprised to hear him mutter, before the blond started following after the other three.

-

Not about to leave Yugi alone with HER, Yami began following the others as well.

-

-

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"Anzu, how much farther do we have to go?" Honda complained.

"Don't worry, it's just up ahead! Not much longer now," the girl called back over her shoulder.

-

While she was looking, she attempted to make eye contact with Yami again, which he avoided. She was starting to get really interested in that…perhaps even realizing that Yami wasn't just another mortal friend of her target.

-

-

Finally, they reached the place that the girl had been aiming towards: the park. Incidentally, this was a part not too far from where three corpses were still probably being picked over by the local wildlife…

Yami shook the thought out of his mind - now was the **worst** possible time to be thinking of such a frivolous thing. The girl had finally let go of Yugi's hand, and Yami took the opportunity to move closer to his charge.

-

-

"So, where's this amazing thing you were talking about, Anzu?" Honda wondered as the humans looked around.

"I guess we must have missed it," Yugi said, "Sorry, Anzu…"

-

"Oh, you don't really need to worry about it," spoke a voice.

-

-

It was coming from the nearest stand of trees and Yami recognized it instantly. The voice's owner was, in appearance, a male human in at least his third decade of life. Long black hair tied back in a ponytail, very tanned skin, and oddly bright blue eyes defined the 'human's' sharply angled features.

The demonic aura this 'human' was giving off was extremely formidable, and Yami hastily clamped down on his own aura lest it reveal him. The demonic one barely gave him a glance.

-

Of course, not even the genuine humans present could mistake this creature for one of their own kind. The taller pair tensed as they stood just in front of Yami, and even Yugi, still distracted by the girl's immediate presence, looked distinctly uncomfortable.

-

One of the creature's arms moved, stretching towards the girl in an inviting gesture. There was a blur of motion as the arm suddenly seemed to grow -

Grasping the girl by the arm and drawing her back towards the creature in a half-embrace.

-

-

"After all," the creature continued in his easy-going drawl of a voice, "You're about to witness something extremely special happening right now…you really should feel most honored…"

-

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"Holy - that thing has Anzu!" Honda yelped.

"Anzu!" Yugi cried out, about to run right over.

-

Before Yami had to do or say anything, Jou grabbed the smaller one by the shoulder, preventing him from running.

-

"Huh? Jou, let go, we have to help -"

-

-

"Yug', you know dat I respect ya an' all," Jou said in a very firm voice, "But you need ta stay put an' take another look. Those two don't _want_ our help."

- 

Yami blinked at the blond in astonishment, as did the other two humans. Of all the…perhaps humans held more potential than Yami had thought…

This revelation didn't please the girl at all. She changed her expression to look particularly unhappy.

-

-

"But Yugi, I thought we were -" she paused to snivel for a second - "That we were friends!"

-

Automatically, Yugi attempted to take a step forward. Jou stopped him.

-

"Trust me on dis, Yug'…"

-

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"Dude…" Honda finally managed to ask, "What are you doing? You're just gonna stand here and let some creep manhandle a girl, much less OUR friend?"

-

-

At this point, Yami felt compelled to speak up. Being overlooked, while useful, irked him immensely. Plus at this rate Jou might lose his grip on Yugi and that would be the end of everything.

-

"She isn't your friend anymore," Yami said, his quiet voice ringing in the cool evening air, "That is, if she ever truly was your friend in the first place. I doubt it."

"Huh?"

-

Everyone's eyes turned to Yami. Even Yugi turned halfway around to look, while not taking his entire gaze off the girl.

"What in the heck makes you say that?" Honda half-asked, half-demanded.

-

-

"Because if she really wanted to be rescued, she would have screamed for help by now."

-

-

The girl flushed with embarrassment at the mistake, and almost managed to hide it, but not before the three humans spotted it. Honda gasped, while Jou snarled. Yugi was staring at her in total shock.

"So, Anzu," Jou growled, "Just who IS this little gentleman friend of yours, hmm?"

-

"Meddling human scum," the girl hissed, every trace of her cheery disguise gone with another instant, "I'll rip out your filthy little lungs for this…"

-

"Now, now, my precious," crooned the creature holding her to him, "You don't need to worry about these silly mortals. Just the other night you were telling me that you wished you could act as you truly are? See, here is your wish come true!"

"You're right," the girl sighed, snuggling deeper into her - what, her partner? Lover might even be the case at this point - into his arms.

-

-

"But you do have a point," he sighed, "The other three mortals are extraneous. We only need the boy. Shall I have them eliminated, dearest?"

"Whatever you wish," she replied, and Yami heard a scraping and dragging sound start up behind them.

-

"What was dat?" Jou demanded, looking around wildly.

-

-

-

Yami could easily see what was making the noise - four, no five Dammug Beasts had surrounded them. The girl's companion had released her in order to work with a crystalline wand, one that Yami vaguely recalled was used to maintain the Dammug's invisibility in the human realm. He wasn't given much time to observe this before the first ones sprang at them.

The humans were yelling in panic as they were grabbed and lifted into the air by things they couldn't see. Yami's blood got riled when he spotted one Beast seizing Yugi and starting to carry the boy over towards the watching pair.

-

Another one audaciously tried to rip Yami's right arm off. That was the last straw as far as he was concerned.

-

-

-

Dammug Beasts were always fairly easy to kill…surprised Dammug Beasts especially so. The thing's head snapped off - fairly easily - and a sharp kick snapped one of the ones attempting to strangle Jou almost in half.

-

Ignoring the blonde's gasp of thanks, Yami charged for the Beast dragging his charge away. Holding the head by its long, greasy hair, Yami had a weapon, and his first wild attack surprised the Dammug into dropping Yugi.

-

"Thanks - but what the -" Yugi began.

-

"Don't just sit there, run!" Yami snapped, pelting the Dammug with the head in his hands as it retaliated.

-

Jou and Honda were already beginning their hasty retreat, tailed by a limping Dammug Beast - the other was lying prone and appeared unable to rise. But instead of doing the intelligent thing by running, Yugi instead latched onto Yami's arm that wasn't currently flailing around with something invisible.

-

"I'm not going to leave you behind Yami!" the boy insisted.

-

-

As soon as those words had left Yugi's lips, Yami felt something very strange happen inside of him. His magical energy, already beginning to come into focus from the combination of battle and the nearby threatening auras, suddenly surged into a sharp peak. The Dammug head Yami was holding crackled with black lightning as his magical power instantaneously swamped it.

-

-

-

Where in the Nine Circles of Hades had **THIS** come from!

-

-

-

The Dammug lunged forward in a tackle, and the head leapt right out of Yami's hand and launched itself like a rocket. The Beast was blown back ten feet with a wailing screech. Utterly astonished, Yami let himself be tugged into a run towards safety.

-

A last glance behind showed a Dammug lying flat on the ground with a gaping hole in its torso while the girl and her demon companion were busily scrambling out of the path of the magically-infused missile. It struck a tree, causing the tree to die and turn black as its leaves all fell off at once.


	10. 10

**_(NOTE 3/8/06: Chapters have been restored to their original order! Assuming nothing ELSE goes wrong, here ya go!)_**

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Ah. Fans are nice.

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Disclaimer: Please get the idea at some point - my fingers are getting tired from typing these things.

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Claimer: Guess...give up? All made-up stuff and the plot, of course!

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* * *

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'Okay, what in the name of heck HAPPENED back there!' Yami mentally berated himself as Yugi dragged him after his two still-running friends.

-

The whole idea had been to remain _unnoticed_, not to announce to the whole city that he was trained in the Black Arts! And even without counting the millennia he'd been sealed away, Yami was WAY too experienced with his magic to loose control of it just like that!

-

-

'Of course, normally my magic doesn't peak like an apprentice working his first spell, either,' Yami thought, worried.

-

-

He was so caught up in that train of thought that he almost didn't acknowledge the tiny corner of his brain that was currently launching a thunderstorm in his stomach over the fact that the boy was not only less than a foot away but he was also holding his hand and that they were really touching, they were in _actualphysicalcontact - skintoskinforthefirsttimeEVER -_

_-_

_- _

"Okay, dat was really WAY too freaky back dere," Jou's voice broke in, putting a halt to Yami's inner musings.

-

Yugi let go of Yami's hand when they stopped, right next to the other two, and something in the back of Yami's mind started protesting very strongly about that…

-

"I think I killed something invisible," Honda said, sounding completely stupefied by the idea, "But whatever it was…it sure was creepy!"

"But why did, whatever those were - why did they attack us?" Yugi wondered.

-

"Anzu and her weirdo friend were trying ta kill us is why - and they seemed awfully keen on grabbing ya, Yug'," Jou said, thinking out loud.

-

He seemed to remember something else as well, and turned towards Yami.

"Hey man, I almost forgot, thanks for the save back there! You ain't some kinda professional at dis or something, are ya?"

-

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"P-Professional?" Yami barely managed to hold in what threatened to turn into a bark of laughter.

"No, I'm not some kind of professional demon-hunter or anything…this sort of thing is really more of a hobby for me," he not-quite lied.

-

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"Great! Den you know what da heck just tried ta KILL US!"

-

Yami attempted to respond to that statement, but before he could actually say a thing he heard, very faintly, a far-too-familiar scraping and dragging sound. Down the street was the source - another Dammug Beast!

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"What'cha looking at?"

"Guys…" Honda said, suddenly looking slightly off-color, "I think…I think I just saw something really, REALLY weird…"

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"We need to get indoors as quickly as possible," Yami interrupted, "It's not safe out here."

-

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The four of them headed for Jou's house, because it was the closest. On the way, the three humans continued to press Yami for information. On this subject, Yami had to think very hard and word his explanations very carefully in order not to blow his cover.

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"And da invisible things dat tried to kill us are called 'Dammug' beasts?" Jou asked him for the third time.

"Yes," Yami growled for the third time, "Very weak monsters, not very intelligent, but still very dangerous."

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"But why did I see it?" Honda wondered.

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Gladly, Yami turned his attention towards this new question. Why had a human seen a Dammug, anyway?

"I'm not certain," Yami began, "But I think…did you turn and look knowing that something was there?"

-

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"Well, yeah. I mean, I knew you weren't just checking for cars," Honda shrugged, "And I really thought that one of those invisible monsters was coming our way…"

-

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"That explains it - because you knew exactly what you were looking at, the Dammug Beast was visible to you," Yami answered, "It's almost impossible for hu-for people to see them otherwise."

-

Thankfully, no one spotted the slip. They rounded the last corner before Jou's house, the blond asking 'What did it look like anyway?' and the brunette answering, 'Dude, you do NOT what to know what that thing looked like,' when Yami jerked to a halt.

-

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Since he was in front now, Honda and Jou rammed into his back at full speed. Yami bit back a curse as he was almost knocked flat on his face.

"Yam', why'dya stop? Is there another Dammug thingy in front of us?" Jou asked.

-

"DUCK!" Yugi yelled.

He had been the only one looking in the right direction - up - and the other three dove for the pavement as something very big swooped down low over their heads. Honda was a second slow and he was knocked to the ground with a yelp of pain.

-

"SHIT! Honda, buddy, speak ta me! Are you okay man?"

-

"I think…shit that hurts…I think somebody up there doesn't like me very much," the brunette groaned, hugging one arm close to his body.

-

"I dunno, man, looks like they thought you're good enough ta eat," Jou attempted to wisecrack as they stared at the large claw-marks and bite-marks now decorating Honda's arm and shoulder.

-

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"These look really serious," Yugi said as he fussed over the wounds, "Honda, you need to go to the hospital right away!"

-

-

-

Yami felt a tug on his sleeve, looked over to see Jou with a very serious expression. Not expecting this particular human to be a threat, Yami was startled when, once they had taken a step away from the other two, the blond grabbed his arm tightly.

-

Furthermore, in his surprise he and the blond accidentally made eye-contact. What Jou saw made the human start, but then his grip increased like a strong vise.

"I dunno who you really are," Jou hissed, "But now I **know** dat you're here for da same reason as dat guy and all these monsters. Tell me what da heck's goin' on, 'cause I know something real big is going down!"

-

-

"Whatever you _think_ you know," Yami replied coldly, his voice barely loud enough to be a murmur, "I am not your enemy. Unless it is your desire to make it so."

-

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A glare that could normally scare the skin off a sprite only made the blond human glare back. While Jou's glare was not particularly intimidating to Yami, the fact that the human was willing and able to glare back was actually a strong point in his favor.

-

"I don't actually know what's going on," Yami finally admitted, "Only that there are very powerful forces at work here, and for some reason they wish to take possession of your friend Yugi."

-

"And you're here ta stop 'em from getting Yug'?" Jou sounded skeptical.

-

"I could have left the three of you behind in that park," Yami reminded him.

-

"Okay, I'll give ya dat much," Jou conceded, glancing over to where Yugi was determinedly attempting to bandage Honda's injuries.

-

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"But why? What's Yugi to ya, Yami - if that even is yer real name?"

"It is my real name," Yami replied, "As for Yugi…"

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"Yeah?" Jou prompted him.

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"Yugi is under my protection, nothing more."

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For some reason, that sentence was the hardest lie Yami had ever said in his entire life. He glared at the blond, daring the human to try and contradict his statement. Jou had the gall to look actually AMUSED, before releasing his grip on Yami's arm and moving to help Honda stand.


	11. 11

**_(NOTE 3/8/06: Chapters have been restored to their original order! Assuming nothing ELSE goes wrong, here ya go!)_**

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Sorry for the wait, ya'll. Now, enjoy the fic! Or Else!

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Disclaimer: Yugioh not owned by me (Da writer)

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Claimer: Made-up stuff owned by me (Da writer)

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"Okay, lets see what we're up against. Those guys have Dammug Beasts, gargoyles, Anzu, that guy she was with…and probably a bunch more creepy stuff like that."

-

Honda lowered the piece of paper he had been reading from and shrugged, wincing instantly afterwards.

-

"On _our_ side," he continued after another minute, "We have me, Yugi, Jou, Yami…guys, I think we're in trouble."

-

"Ya had ta make a list ta figure dat out?" Jou snorted, "Four kids against a buncha monsters? Man, dese odds suck!"

- 

"If that gargoyle was working for that creepy guy," Yugi wondered, "Why did it only attack us once? Not that I'm complaining or anything…"

-

"I sort of got the impression that it wasn't actually looking for us," Honda said, "More like it just wanted to scare us."

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"Actually," Yami said, "What it really wanted to do was eat you."

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"EAT ME!"

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"But it took off after just da one bite - I guess you don't taste too good den," Jou laughed.

-

"And I still think you should have that wound looked over by a doctor," Yugi sighed, while Honda attempted to punch Jou with his good arm and missed.

"Except that if we go outside, we'll be attacked by those Dammug Beast-thingys," Jou mentioned.

-

"Great," Honda said, "Next time I need a pep talk, Jou, I know exactly who to **not** ask."

-

- 

There was another minute of silence as the humans tried to figure out what they should do next. Yami, on the other hand, had already admitted to himself that he didn't have a clue what move this group could possibly make that would avoid capture and painful death, and was therefore just sitting there with his eyes shut, enjoying the sudden onset of peace and quiet.

-

-

Surprisingly, it was Yugi that spoke up next.

-

"…You guys don't actually have to worry about the Dammug Beasts," Yugi said, causing the other three to blink sharply.

-

"They're not after anyone here but me," continued the boy, "So if I go off somewhere without you guys then you'll be safe."

-

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"Yug', don't even think about what I think yer thinkin' about," Jou growled, "I ain't about ta let ya go off and have who-knows what happen ta ya all by yourself!" 

"We're friends," Honda agreed, "Friends don't abandon each other, no matter what."

-

"I know, but those - those THINGS are after me," Yugi protested, "I'm just putting you guys in danger by staying with you!"

-

"Just stop talking about it, we're not going to let you go off on your own and that's that," Honda said.

-

-

Then he turned to Yami, who hadn't entered this phase of the conversation yet, and added, "You know it's a stupid idea, right? Help us talk Yugi out of it."

-

-

Yami closed his eyes again as he responded in a very calm and reasonable tone of voice.

-

"As a matter of fact, Yugi's plan has a great deal of merit."

-

"WHAT!" Jou screeched, "Why you uncaring selfish BASTARD! What da HELL is WRONG with you!"

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"There's no need to yell when I'm four feet away," Yami snapped, now glaring in the blonde's direction.

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"Oh no? Den tell us why you think it's such a WONDERFUL idea ta send Yug' to some kind of horrible untimely death!"

-

"FIRST of all," Yami growled, "He would not be going to his death. Our enemies are attempting to capture him, not to slay him. And secondly of all, there are enough of us here that one person can stay with Yugi and the other can take him -" Yami nodded at Honda - "To see a physician."

-

"Do I really need to see a doctor?" asked Honda (Who was secretly but also only extremely slightly afraid of needles and other pointy appliances used by doctors in hospitals).

- 

"Has your wound started tingling?" Yami countered.

-

"Um…well, only a little bit…it feels kinda like when your arm starts to go to sleep…" said the now very-worried-looking brunette.

-

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"Then you need to go to the hospital," Yami replied, "I think you can be spared the details of why…they're slightly unpleasant."

-

-

"And you didn't feel a need ta tell us something was gonna happen before now?" Jou grumbled sarcastically as Honda ran for the door.

-

-

"He had a fifty percent chance of not having the side-effect," Yami said, "There wasn't a need to worry him if it wasn't going to happen. And its easy enough to treat - really, you ought to be thanking me."

-

"Thanking you! For what!" demanded the blond.

-

"Otherwise you would have only known about the side-effect when his arm dies and falls off," Yami replied, enjoying the look he got for that.

-

-

-

Once they got outside, a new issue presented itself. Yugi was against going with Honda to the hospital simply because he didn't dare risk his injured friend if they were attacked. Jou was torn between helping Honda, who was an old friend of his especially, and protecting Yugi. It wasn't helpful that Jou still wasn't fully trusting of Yami now that he had a better idea what Yami exactly was.

-

Yami solved the problem by pointing out that he had no idea where the hospital was. Granted, it wouldn't have taken Yami too long to figure it out, but he had his own job to consider - Jou wouldn't be very good protection from Dammug Beasts and other dark monsters.

-

-

"Yer gonna take da alleys cross town ta Yug's house?" Jou inquired as they prepared to split up.

-

"The Dammugs will be all over all the main roads by this time," Yami countered, "The alleyways will be a short-cut, and Dammug Beasts avoid confined areas."

-

-

"Is that why we were safe indoors?" Yugi asked him when Honda and Jou had disappeared from sight.

-

"That's right," Yami said, trying to avoid being distracted by the boy's proximity too much as they headed into the nearest alley opening.

-

But was it merely his imagination, though, or was he sensing something else watching them? That was just foolish paranoia, wasn't it?


	12. 12

**_(NOTE 3/8/06: Chapters have been restored to their original order! Assuming nothing ELSE goes wrong, here ya go!)_**

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Woooooo...new chapter! Look at me, actually providing you guys with entertainment!

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Or not. Whatever.

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Disclaimer: Check other chapters in this fic, foolish ppls.

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Their journey through the alleys had been a quiet one. When they had gone about halfway without either of them making a sound, Yami began feeling slightly uneasy.

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Travel this quiet was something _he_ did fairly regularly…but he'd spent enough time watching Yugi to know something of the boy's mannerisms, and silence such as this was not normal.

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He'd checked several times, just to make certain that Yugi was still following him, and the other was. But Yami should have at least gotten some kind of nervous question by now.

-

And, out of the corner of his eyes, it appeared to Yami that Yugi was watching him. Why? He hadn't revealed anything too unusual, had he - oh. Yes, as a matter of fact, he had.

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'_Fuck_. That blond bastard was talking to Yugi when I was busy convincing Honda that his slow and painful death wasn't imminent. I'm going to vivisect him the next time I see that idiot…'

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Not that Jou had discovered exactly what Yami was himself. But whatever he had said to Yugi had put the mortal on edge.

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'And how exactly am I going to be able to protect him if he runs off, thinking I'm about to eat him or something?'

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Well, he might as well try to convince the boy he was semi-normal. Casual conversation wasn't his strong point, but…no time like the present to practice it, neh?

-

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"Yugi, are you getting tired?" Yami settled on as a starting point.

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'See, I'm not totally evil, I have concern for his welfare. Take that blondie!'

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"…No, not really," Yugi mumbled back.

-

And with that, there were no more 'casual conversation' ideas left. Why did humans have to put him in situations like these?

-

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"…Perhaps we should take a short break, nonetheless," Yami said, stopping as he spoke.

-

Yugi looked like he wanted to protest, but then decided against saying anything and sat down on a nearby box. This was just wonderful - Yami felt a keen longing for the days when Yugi had no idea he existed, just because the boy was about a billion times more outgoing when he wasn't fearing for his life.

-

-

This, plus the rest of the crap that had happened since this afternoon, started Yami feeling extremely annoyed. At last, after a few minutes of this, Yami abruptly moved to stand in front of the sitting Yugi.

-

"All right, fine. What did he tell you?" Yami demanded.

-

"What?" Yugi asked, backing away slightly in surprise, "Who? What are you talking about?"

-

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"Before we separated from the others. You and he talked alone, and now you're acting like I'm about to pull out a - a gun or something on you," Yami said, changing the word 'sword' to something more modern at the last second.

-

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"…Oh," said Yugi.

-

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"Yeah. 'Oh'. Well?"

-

"…Jou just said that I should keep an eye on you," Yugi admitted, looking sullen, "He wouldn't tell me why. And since Jou can judge character pretty well, I took his advice. And…"

-

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"…And?" Yami asked, now starting to regret snapping.

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'Why don't you just wear a flaming sign TELLING the world about you! You can pin it over your _idiotic_ mouth!' he screamed at himself mentally.

'Yeah, right after I take both feet out…'

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"…I can see you're a very strange person," Yugi said, apparently deciding to just tell the truth, "And for some reason, I keep expecting to see you with claws and fangs, alright!"

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Yami sighed. He was such a moron. It didn't help that Yugi was so perceptive. Weirdly enough, that made the boy somehow even more attractive then he'd already been.

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"That would be…" Yami answered, his voice soft, "Because I do possess those features. Look now and tell me what you see."

-

Yami extended his claws a little and bared his fangs slightly when Yugi looked again. Normally they remained retracted and concealed, allowing him to pass normally through humanity.

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Besides, as powerful a master of the dark arts as Yami was, especially one possessing the soul of a demon, wasn't exactly what most humans kept a regular eye out for, after all.

-

As for the mage-demon himself, Yami kept his gaze firmly pinned on the inside of his eyelids. Patience was the best way to deal with panicked humans. As a fugitive himself, Yugi would _probably_ remember not to scream, but demands for Yami's immediate departure were going to start coming any time now…

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"…Um…" came Yugi's voice, "Well…whoa. Are you like a vampire or something, Yami?"

-

Yami blinked down at Yugi in pure astonishment. **Now** the human wanted to ask questions! Before he'd been afraid to sneeze in Yami's hearing!

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"…No, I am not a vampire," Yami finally answered.

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"Oh. Okay. Well, since we're all on the same page now, shouldn't we keep moving?"

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'What!'

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"Hold on!" Yami snapped, as Yugi blithely got up and started walking.

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"…Sorry, was I supposed to scream or something?" Yugi asked, honestly contrite, "I thought it would be a bad idea, since we're trying to be hidden…"

-

"…Just tell me how, exactly, you can be _calm_ about this," Yami demanded.

-

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"Well, you're a friend of mine, aren't you? I wouldn't leave a friend just because I found out that he had some kind of deep dark secret. Especially since you're trying really hard to help out, and all," Yugi said.

-

Besides the nearly ludicrous nature of the statement, the boy's tone and expression both clearly added on the further statement of: 'This is unbelievably obvious stuff, why'd you need to ask me anyway?' Yami found himself starting to chuckle.

-

-

It had been too long to think about since the last time he'd laughed. Still, Yami clamped down on his bubble of good humor. It would be a really lame way to get caught if he broke down into hysterics and attracted every Dammug in the city.

-

"Fill me in on the joke?" Yugi asked as Yami finally regained his composure and started walking again.

-

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"Maybe some other time," Yami answered, leading the way past a few branching alleys and down the one they needed to take.


	13. 13

**_(NOTE 3/8/06: Chapters have been restored to their original order! Assuming nothing ELSE goes wrong, here ya go!)_**

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Oh me, oh my. Slow updates, I know, but college is trying to kill me, I just know it is!

Ahem, ignore that last bit please.

Disclaimer: Authoress in question does not own Yugioh or other non-made-up-by-self stuff.

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They were almost all the way to Yugi's street when Yami felt something watching him again.

He knew for a fact that it couldn't be Yugi this time because Yugi was walking to his right side, in plain view. That meant that something had found them, and was probably following them as well.

A surreptitious glance around revealed nothing - but Yami had expected as much.

'It could be some stray animal,' he considered, 'We might just be passing through its territory…'

Or he could just stop deluding himself. The truth was, he had only allowed such a ridiculous explanation enter his thoughts because he didn't want to worry Yugi.

They were coming up to the last intersecting alley in their path. When Yugi paused, looking back at his companion in order to ask which way they should go now, he blinked at the expression he saw on Yami's face.

"What's wrong? Did you hear something?" Yugi asked.

"Maybe…" Yami said, turning around to face the way they had just come.

Yami extended his senses, reaching out hard and fast in the direction of the eyes in an attempt to take whatever it was off guard. Unfortunately, whatever it was had anticipated Yami's idea and was now completely concealed.

Annoyed, Yami blew a puff of air over his fangs. Then he blinked when Yugi jumped at the noise.

"Are we in trouble?" Yugi asked, when he had recovered from his little scare.

"Whatever I sensed is shielding itself," Yami replied, "Therefore I cannot read its intentions…however, I doubt it is friendly."

They started walking again, going slightly faster then before. Yami had moved all of two yards when he froze and whirled around, only to growl when he failed to identify their pursuer again.

And then, when he had stalked past his confused charge - only to feel their watcher's gaze from above and ahead of their position - Yami literally snarled.

"…Someone is following us?" Yugi inquired cautiously, wary of the anger flashing across Yami's features.

Because if there was one thing Yami hated, even more then he disliked a too-short hunt, it was being made a fool of. And whoever was watching them was purposely mocking him now.

"I know damn well you're there!" Yami yelled at the hidden presence, "COWARD! Come out right now or else!"

There was a moment's pause, as the echoes of Yami's voice faded and Yugi swallowed nervously, expecting an attack at any second now that Yami had courteously announced to the rest of the world where they were.

A new noise started up. It was exactly like the sound of something oozy and disgusting bubbling, and it took another moment for the two in the alley to recognize the sound as something chuckling.

"…I believe I may have missed the joke," Yami stated, turning to face the source of the sound and gently tugging Yugi behind him.

"That would probably be," replied a gurgling, throaty sort of voice, "Because you ARE the joke."

The voice's owner started climbing down the wall towards them. Yugi swallowed hard when he finally saw it - it was the most disgusting thing he'd seen in his entire life up to this point.

Something made up of dank and oily-looking blue slime was slowly slithering and oozing down the wall. The only thing that looked solid was the big round eyeball set in the middle of it. The slime-thing's eye was a sickeningly vibrant green color, and its pupil was a vertical slit, just like a cat's.

"Those are some pretty big words, coming from such a small stain," Yami countered.

"Judging me for my size, are you? You underestimate me, rogue mage," the slime-thingy gurgled as it drew closer, "Looks can be quite deceiving. Why, just consider your little human friend there…"

"_Me_?" Yugi blinked, "What about me?"

"It is you that my Lord seeks. Do you not wonder why? Out of all the mortals in this city, you are the only one that he wishes to have alive - preferably undamaged, one might assume, but alive first and foremost."

"Well then, you should go back and tell your master that he won't be taking Yugi alive OR damaged," Yami snapped.

"Perhaps he does not need to take him," the blue slime remarked, "Perhaps, with the correct persuasion, he shall go to my Lord himself. It is not the same as his own free will, but it is no matter -"

Instantly, the ooze-creature contracted into itself, before springing right off the wall. It was aimed for Yugi, but Yami was fast enough to shove the boy down and out of the way.

Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough to avoid the creature itself.

Yami snarled as the slime-creature slithered all over him. Slashing with his claws proved ineffective. He tried yanking it off entirely but when he attempted to grab hold of the damn thing, it sucked in his hand and he couldn't pull it free.

Then it extended tendrils of itself to grasp and pull itself closer to his face. Soon Yami was looking at it right in the eye.

"Oh well," it laughed, "I may not get to control that human, but you will be a much more interesting mind-slave. I'll even find a brother Korikosos to control your human friend so you don't get lonely…"

Oh. Shit. Shit shit shit shit _shit_! Yami had never encountered one personally before now, but he knew exactly what a Korikosos was! Now his efforts to rip the damnable thing from his body were laced with panic.

**Futile** panic.

It was on his head now - Yami jerked away, to no avail, as the Korikosos began inserting tendrils into his ear. Once it had finished the physical part of its infestation, Yami remembered, it would find a way to either trick him or force him to look at its eye, allowing it to enslave his mind.

Still trying to dislodge his unwanted passenger, Yami screwed his eyes shut, even though at this rate it wasn't going to stop the Korikosos. And when the Korikosos finished cementing its control, it would go after -

"Yami! What's going on?" Yugi cried out, as if on cue.

"Yugi! Run!" Yami yelled back.

"But -"

"No buts, you have to escape while you can RIGHT NOW!" Yami roared, risking squinting open one eye to make sure Yugi was actually listening.

The mortal was beginning to back away - thank the underworld for small favors - but before Yami could shut his eye again his view was blocked by a pool of lurid green.

"You make this _far_ too easy for me," the Korikosos said as its eye began glowing.

And then Yami's mind and his world was left to drown in a sea of horrible green light.


	14. 14

**_(NOTE 3/8/06: Chapters have been restored to their original order! Assuming nothing ELSE goes wrong, here ya go!)_**

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...Okay, yes it was horrible of me to leave you guys with that cliffhanger.

(Authoress dodges flying objects)

STOP DOING THAT! I'M POSTING, I'M POSTING! _Sheesh!_

Disclaimer: Authoress does not own Yugioh, just the plot and other worthless made-up things like that

* * *

- 

He was lost, confused. Where was he? What was he supposed to be doing here? It felt as if he already knew those answers…but if he could only just _remember_ - !

"You really should have taken his advice and run, boy," said a voice.

Deep down, he shivered. There was something bad about this voice, he could tell even if all his memories were being blocked away. Weirdly, though, it felt like he was the one who had just spoken. His mouth had, anyway…

"Wha-what did you do to him!" some other voice demanded.

This one also made him feel bad. A different sort of bad, though. Instead of fear and disgust…it was guilt? Shame?

"I am the one my Lord sends to retrieve difficulties. He has been trying to incapacitate you for quite some time, boy…but _someone_ kept protecting you. In secret, _someone_ was continually ruining my Lord's schemes for you…and now **he** shall be the one to bring you in. Ironic, is it not?"

There was something else happening now…running, slashing. Then the running part stopped.

"Giving up already?" sneered the bad voice.

"No…because I know you can't hurt me," came the second voice.

"You will reconsider that in another second…"

"That's Yami's body, not yours. And you said it yourself, Yami is here to protect me from things like you."

'…I am…his…guardian?'

"Your sentiment is both foolish and foolhardy," sneered the first of the two voices, "As long as I am in control of this body, your friend the mage does not exist. Whatever might remain of his consciousness is no threat to me."

That last sentence made him start to feel mad. The two voices were talking about him, somehow he knew that, but the first voice was _laughing_.

He HATED being laughed at.

Something - a hand? - was curling into a shaking fist as the first voice continued laughing.

"Human, as amusing as this is, I must get to business. Will you give yourself up now? I will admit, I'm not certain if I can avoid killing you without having practiced this body's abilities…"

Whatever answer was given was not spoken aloud, and with the pain in his head he could not easily see anything.

"I suppose I can give you only a _near_-fatal injury," mused the fouler of the two voices, and he could feel it start moving, just the littlest tiniest bit…

…That was far enough. He was still mad. Plus, if he really was whoever-else-was-there's protector, he wasn't going to let anybody screw over his job.

One hand barely moved in the beginnings of a spell.

The fist uncurled and bared long needle claws, and by the very next instant had stabbed them into something soft and greasy.

It screamed.

Undaunted by the noise, he pulled. There was horrific pain until he heard something tear, something inside his own ear, and then -

Yami shredded the tentacle he had ripped out in half for good measure. By all the gods and all the hells he could think of, that **hurt**! And there was so much blood pouring out of his ear that it was impairing his hearing on that side.

"THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!" shrieked the Korikosos as the tendrils of its body not currently imbedded in Yami's other ear waved frantically, "NO ONE CAN DEFY MY CONTROL!"

"Shut up, worm dung," Yami growled, reaching over to free the rest of his head.

In a desperate act to save itself, the Korikosos wrapped its remaining appendages around Yami's wrists, shoving them away from its body.

What the evil blue slime creature didn't count on was a pair of smaller hands grabbing it instead. Yami blinked as he registered Yugi's actions.

"What -" he began.

"Sorry!" Yugi interrupted, before yanking on the imbedded tendril as hard as he could.

The Korikosos, already occupied with keeping Yami's claws off of itself, was unable to block Yugi's efforts in time. Fully aware this time, Yami grimaced as the Korikosos pulled apart parts of the inside of his ear as it was being removed. Now he was bleeding heavily from both ears, but Yami had other concerns to deal with first.

He grabbed for the Korikosos' large eyeball. The gross thing squirmed and tried to climb up the nearest wall and escape. Finally, Yami seized hold of the eye long enough to shoot a concentrated burst of dark magic through it.

The foul creature only had enough time for one panicked wail before its eyeball swelled up like a balloon, and then it popped open like a bag of overcooked popcorn.

And it didn't even smell as _good_ as overcooked popcorn. The blue slime of the Korikosos' body turned a muddy brown color and crumbled into dust.

Yami felt pretty pleased with himself, especially since he hadn't actually know that blowing up the thing's eye would kill it. He had really only wanted to do something crippling and painful to the filthy beast. The fact that he killed it was just a bonus.

Maybe now he could take a break…even though he couldn't hear anything now, and his ears were still bleeding heavily…but still, nothing sounded nicer than lying down and taking a nice, long nap.

Yami was slumping against the wall before he realized he was going light-headed from blood loss. That was bad - one, because blood loss that bad in general tended to be life-threatening and therefore was vaguely undesirable, and two because if he passed out he would be leaving Yugi defenseless.

Speaking of the human, Yugi's face appeared in Yami's drowning field of vision, clearly saying something - even if Yami couldn't hear him - and looking extremely upset.

He glanced to the right when he spotted something flicker. Yami squinted. Was that something white? They were at the street now…

At this point, though, darkness overtook Yami's vision and he knew no more.


	15. 15

**_(NOTE 3/8/06: Chapters have been restored to their original order! Assuming nothing ELSE goes wrong, here ya go!)_**

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Ah hah hah ha...let this be a lesson for all non-reviewer types!

For you see, if you don't let me know you've read a chapter, I can't tell if you've gotten a chance to see it.

Not wanting you to be confused by being left behind, I therefore do not post.

I'm too nice for my own good, I know...

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.

* * *

- 

…Yami was having a very peculiar dream. Most of the time, he didn't dream, so having the dream at all was strange enough. But for some reason, he was dreaming that he was asleep.

Wherever he was sleeping was silent as an empty graveyard. And yet despite that it was warm, and he was lying on something comfortable…even before his being sealed away, there had been no material as soft and cushy as whatever he was lying on around…

A shift in his weight informed Yami, in highly painful headache fashion, that he was not actually asleep or dreaming. So where was he?

In the interest of discovery, Yami opened his eyes slightly.

Being awake seemed even weirder than dreaming. He was in some human dwelling, and despite it being well-lit, full of people moving around, and there being a 'television' on just across the room…everything was still deadly quiet.

That just screamed 'wrong' in Yami's book. He sat up…and was very surprised to find himself unable to keep from slumping into the back of the couch.

He might have fallen face-first to the floor on his next attempt to sit upright, had not someone grabbed his shoulder and steadied him. Yami blinked when he saw Jonouchi looking at him in concern.

The blond mouthed some words, too fast for Yami to even guess at. Then Jou grabbed something - a pen and a piece of paper - from the nearby table. After scribbling something, he handed Yami the paper.

The message was short: 'Can you hear anything?'

Yami waited, making one last assessment. The only thing he could hear was the thumping of people walking around, and that wasn't really hearing because he was just feeling the vibrations in the floor that traveled up to the couch. Yami doubted the blond would understand that explanation, though, and merely shook his head.

Jou said something else, and judging from his expression it was probably along the lines of 'God-damned-damn it-fuck!' Whatever it really was, it brought Yugi running.

As for Yami's charge, the boy looked absolutely miserable. And the second he spotted Yami looking at him - the mage-demon had needed a pitifully embarrassing minute to figure out what Jou was looking at before he even turned his head - Yugi started crying outright.

In that instant, Yami decided that he had discovered a brand new definition of torment and misery. Jou went over to his friend and gave him a sort of half-hug in support. But Yami knew that if his balance was bad enough that he couldn't sit upright on a sofa, there was no way he'd be able to walk over and offer any comfort to Yugi himself.

And _that_ idea was annoying enough, because Yami had never felt a desire to offer comfort before in his entire life, to anything. In an attempt to control the rising surge of frustration, Yami examined his injuries.

The only parts that were injured, of course, were the insides of his ears. Which made perfect sense, considering he had brilliantly ripped out an embedded Korikosos. They connected themselves to their victims by tight physical bonds, and in theory if you killed the Korikosos first, the tendrils would wither, die, and fall out on their own within a few weeks.

Ripping out the tendrils also ripped apart whatever they were attached to, which in Yami's case were his eardrums. And the inner ear as well, if his total lack of balance said anything.

Too bad for his ears. He'd have done it again in a heartbeat. Yami couldn't actually recall anything from the time he'd spent being under the Korikosos' control, but he somehow knew for fact that he would willingly - heck, even gladly! - sacrifice any of his senses again in exchange for the safety of his charge.

His private musings were interrupted when something kicked the sofa.

Turning, Yami barely had enough time to gawk at the person he saw there, before said person rudely inserted a finger in each of his ears. The sharp cracking sensation that came from being healed with black magic trebled Yami's already magnificent headache.

Fueled by pain, anger, and shock, as soon as Yami sensed the magic finish its task he grabbed the wrists attached to those fingers and ripped them away from his head. Then he flung the owner of those wrists towards the nearest wall.

Said owner spent the entire ordeal laughing his head off.

"You haven't changed a BIT!" hooted someone Yami had been hoping never to see again, "Is **that** the thanks I get for fixing you up, after all your little mortal pals BEGGED me to do it? I ought to take your hearing away again…"

"I don't care what they asked you to do, Bakurah," Yami snarled back, "I told you **never** to touch me and that still stands, Grave-Digger!"

Bakurah, unfortunately none the worse for wear after his little trip into the wall, just got right up, walked back over, and waved his clawed hand perilously close to the spiked ends of Yami's hair.

"_I'm not touching you_," Bakurah sang mockingly.

"I'll touch you with a bolt of lightning in another second," Yami snapped, swatting Bakurah's hand away.

Bakurah merely snorted and sneered, flashing his fangs.

"At least I'm tall enough to ATTRACT lightning!"

Yami had his own claws and fangs fully bared, already moving to gut the insolent bastard in front of him, when someone blew a whistle. It wasn't that loud, but Yami and Bakurah both covered their ears as the sound amplified itself inside their heads to a painfully high-pitched shriek.

Even after the whistle was no longer being blown, their heads were still throbbing and their ears were still ringing. Or at least his were, as far as Yami knew, but judging from Bakurah's expression he was enjoying the same effects. The humans present, however, had experienced nothing but an ordinary whistle noise, including the whistle-blower, who was the pale-haired Bakurah-look-alike Yami had spotted going to Yugi's school.

Even now, he looked rather timid, but his eyes were set and his expression was completely serious.

"All right, Bakura, you go back into the kitchen and stay there."

"And what if I don't want to, whelp?" Bakurah challenged.

The human that was a nicer-looking version of Bakurah, proving that miracles were indeed possible (who knew?), brought the whistle in question back to his lips. Bakurah growled and stalked into another room.

"And don't touch anything!" the mortal yelled after him.


	16. 16

**_(NOTE 3/8/06: Chapters have been restored to their original order! Assuming nothing ELSE goes wrong, here ya go!)_**

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Man, I loves ta be loved!

Disclaimer: Yugioh not owned here

Claimer: Dammug Beasts and other completely made-up stuff owned right here!

* * *

- 

There was a momentary pause, during which Yami was reminded of his headache as it thrashed what remained of his brain cells, before the nice-looking Bakurah stepped forward and introduced himself.

"My name is Ryou," said the human, "And…Yugi said your name is Yami, right?"

"That is correct," Yami replied, glancing at Yugi.

Yugi - and Jou as well, actually - both had dumbfounded expressions on their faces. Finally Jou spoke up.

"Ryou, I know ya said ya had a way ta keep dat guy in line," Jou said, "But what's with da whistle?"

"Well," Ryou admitted with an embarrassed expression, "I had this book, you see, and -"

"Okay, don't wanna know," Jou immediately interrupted, "Hey Yug', can I use yer phone? I wanna check on Honda."

"Sure," Yugi replied.

Once Jou had left the room, Yami became aware that Ryou was watching him with a thoughtful expression.

"You're the same as Bakura is, aren't you?" Ryou finally asked.

Had he been in any other house besides Yugi's, Yami would have immediately honored the old tradition of spiting on the floor in disgust, but instead he hissed in disbelief.

"Me? If I was the same as that carrion-crow, I'd slit my own throat. Or his," Yami added as the second image was much more appealing, "Yes actually, I'd just kill him in that case."

"_I love you too, _**Pharaoh**," Bakurah jeered from inside the kitchen doorway.

"Then again, I think I'll just kill him right now," Yami said as if no one had spoken, "Ryou, may I borrow that whistle?"

Bakurah snarled something under his breath and retreated from the doorway.

"Where did you get this thing, anyway?" Yugi asked as he held up Ryou's whistle, "This looks like a regular whistle to me…"

"It was, but I had this spell…it worked on anything, the first thing I grabbed was that whistle, and I needed to do something before Bakura completely trashed my house," Ryou explained.

"Ryou's really into magic and stuff," Yugi explained to Yami as he gave back Ryou's whistle.

"I see," Yami said, eyeing Yugi's suddenly completely nonchalant expression and wondering where the upset-looking Yugi that had been here five minutes ago had gone to.

The boy wasn't suppressing his emotions, was he? That was unhealthy…for mortals. Yami did it all the time and he always felt fine about it, but he wasn't a mortal.

'At least -'

"Hey, when's dinner gonna be ready? I'm starved!" Jou suddenly yelled, breaking into Yami's thoughts.

Which also reminded Yami to take a look at the time. Now it was past sunset…which made no sense, because the incident with the Korikosos had taken place around dawn. Jou, in his cluelessness, provided the answer.

"Yam', I bet yer _really_ hungry - afta sleepin' for two whole days and then some, I know I'd be!"

Even though Yami's body felt glad for the rest - the longest he'd slept for quite a while - the other news he picked up over the hastily prepared meal was not so good.

The forces of whoever was after Yugi were flooding the city in such numbers now that even regular and otherwise uninvolved humans were becoming aware of them. Jonouchi and Yugi had been stuck inside the last couple of days, being joined only this morning by Ryou and Bakurah.

"Now that the Pharaoh's finished his little nap," Bakurah said around a mouthful of meat - still bleeding, his favorite kind - "We'll be able to go kill something. Although His Highness isn't good for much besides Dammug bait…"

"Why'dya keep callin' Yam' 'Pharaoh'?" Jou inquired, barely pausing in his engulfing of all the food in arm's reach to ask the question.

"That's none of your business," Yami said, not forgetting how much he still disliked the blond at the moment.

"Pharaoh's got a secret, see," Bakurah snickered.

"You watch your mouth as well, Grave-Digger."

"That's Tomb-Robber," Bakurah corrected, "I steal treasure, not bodies."

"Sure, sure," Yami agreed, "That army of the undead you used to order around was just on loan from Lord Osiris, right?"

"You're just jealous that I'm on first name terms with the underworld and you're not," the white-haired necromancer sneered.

Yami remained expressionless.

"Why do I want to be known personally by Ammit? Were you and her on…ah, _intimate_ terms, then?"

Bakurah leapt from his seat, ready to start the physical part of this debate, but when Ryou pulled out his magic whistle the tomb-robber/necromancer froze, and with an expression of pure hatred for all things whistle-shaped Bakurah slowly sat back down.

The room was very quiet for a while, before Yugi broke the silence.

"So, how is Honda? You said they wanted him there for observation…"

"He's gonna be let out in a day or two," Jou answered, "It was da weirdest thing, too - when da docs saw how bad his arm was dey took X-rays right away - ta see if whatever was infectin' da muscle was in da bone or something' like dat. But as soon as da X-rays finished, his arm was almost as good as new! 'Cept for the teeth marks, I mean."

Here, Jou eyed Yami.

"Ya knew it would fix 'em, didn't ya?"

"Oh, that cure's an OLD one," Bakurah sneered, jumping into the conversation before Yami could answer, "Except we used to stake out the victims in the _hottest_, **brightest**, driest part of the desert and leave 'em there for a few days. And if you didn't _fry_," And here Bakurah made very realistic sizzling sound effects, "Then you were cured! Ah, the **good** old days…"

Jou looked distinctly green. However, since everyone had seen him just eat twice his weight in food, the other humans looked quite concerned that he might throw it all up again.

Especially since if he did, he'd probably be hungry again afterwards.


	17. 17

**_(NOTE 3/8/06: Chapters have been restored to their original order! Assuming nothing ELSE goes wrong, here ya go!)_**

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Glad to have livened your lives with evil, mixed with my personal weird sense of humor.

And here I thought _I_ was the only one.

Disclaimer: Yugioh is not owned by me.

Claimer: I own...gee, what DO I own? Nothing much besides the odd Dammug Beast...

* * *

- 

Finally, it was time to figure out what they were going to do about the mess outside.

The stories on TV were gruesome enough: some scenes of gargoyles swooping around taking chucks out of people, and plenty of reports of Dammug Beasts purposely standing in the streets so that when a car came by, it would hit them.

Then, when the confused human came out to see what he had hit, other Dammugs would swarm and rip the defenseless humans into chunks.

Of course, whenever there was _actual_ footage of the Dammugs' grisly work, Bakurah would laugh and cheer on the monsters, taunting the humans who could not see the danger - even while being torn to shreds.

The humans present tended to avoid looking at the television whenever this occurred. Several times Ryou had held up his whistle, thinking of using it to shut Bakurah up, but since that would mean turning to look at the necromancer-demon - and thus the TV, Ryou had yet to actually use it.

The only other thing any of the brainless mortal newspeople could talk about was how scores of even-more-brainless mortals were taking advantage of the chaos to pillage and smash everything nearby, and dealing with any mortals not allied with them brutally.

'Typical humans,' Yami sighed mentally.

When the repetition of all these events grew too tedious for Yami's tolerance, he switched the television off. There were three sighs of relief and one protest of 'Hey! I was enjoying that!', followed immediately by a mad scramble to keep Bakurah away from the remote.

Naturally, Bakurah stole the remote and tried to turn the set back on, but was slightly unsuccessful - probably do to the fact that Yami had thoughtfully removed the batteries from said remote.

"Okay, the city is flooded with monsters," Ryou started, "So, how do we get rid of them?"

"Kill them, obviously," Bakurah sniffed.

"**Wow**," Jou deadpanned, "I _neva_ woulda thought of doing dat."

"_Obviously_," Bakurah repeated, sneering at the flustered human who immediately started glaring at him.

"…Well," Yami said after another moment, "For once, he has the right idea. The only thing to do about the Dammug Beasts **is** to kill them…"

"Hmph. 'For once' my ass," Bakurah hissed under his breath.

"Um, guys? I ain't no math expert, but a billion against five ain't what I'd call great odds," Jou piped up.

"All we need to do to get rid of every Dammug Beast at once is merely to destroy the Staff of Sehloo maintaining them here," Yami added, "As much as it will pain you to destroy something so shiny, Bakurah, I believe you can do it."

"Wow, that was so funny it killed my ability to laugh," Bakurah retorted.

"Okay, dat'll take care of da invisible monster problem," Jou said, apparently pretending he wasn't being interrupted at all, "And now for da flying monstas dat make arms fall off?"

"Kill 'em," Bakurah said.

"Death's your answer to **everything**," Ryou sighed.

"And it works, too." Bakurah grinned.

"But what about Anzu?"

Everything blinked and looked toward Yugi. This was the first he'd spoken in the conversation - not that Yami blamed him. Everything resulting from this little war council was going to result in the sort of gory-ness that the boy didn't like at all.

Bakurah opened his mouth, but knowing exactly what would come out, Ryou smothered the necromancer-demon's face under a nearby pillow.

"I hate ta break dis ta ya, Yug'," Jou said, "But you were there…she's on their side."

"I don't _care_," Yugi snapped, "I still think of her as a friend."

'Oh no, much more than a mere _friend_,' some part of Yami's mind sneered as he noted the microscopic blush Yugi nearly managed to hide as he spoke.

"I guess she should get a chance to explain herself…" Ryou mentioned.

Not being as intimate a member of the little group as Yugi's other close friends, he didn't know Anzu that well. They chose to leave the issue unsettled after that.

Besides, the sounds of Dammug Beasts flinging car parts at the building did deserve a little **bit** more attention. When they went to the windows to check things out, Yami nearly blanched.

"This is _ridiculous_," he said.

"I'll say," chimed in Bakurah, "There's only a hundred and fifty of them. I wanted to kill something _challenging_ - or at least more annoying."

"Of course you can, Bakurah, the mirror's right over there," Yami replied, chuckling when Bakurah snarled at him.

It wasn't Yami's fault the other kept walking right into them…Yami's train of thought had to cut itself off when he spotted the back end of a car - literally two wheels, a bumper, the trunk, and just about nothing else - soaring gracefully through the air…and straight for the window they were standing in front of.


	18. 18

**_(NOTE 3/8/06: Chapters have been restored to their original order! Assuming nothing ELSE goes wrong, here ya go!)_**

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Thanks for reading and then actually telling me about it. I don't mean to sound so stiff right now, but I've got this huge headache...

...Lots of reviews are the best headache medicine. You DID know that ALREADY, right?

Disclaimer: Check other chapters

-

-

* * *

- 

Whether you're a mortal or a not, broken glass hurts.

This was made abundantly clear when the large hunk of car broke through the window, sending glass shards flying like shrapnel. Barely losing momentum at this point, the flying chunk of metal continued forward, bounced off the couch, and slammed into the wall right where the TV was, causing the small box to explode and add more dangerous shards to the room.

And then, when all the things currently in the air landed, there was a moment of deathly quiet. Yami almost wondered if his hearing was gone again, but soon determined that his ears had escaped damage.

So had Yugi. Probably since Yami had instinctively gotten them both to the floor and below the path of the flying car hunk. The poor kid was almost hyperventilating, clinging to Yami like the mage-demon was a lifeline.

And he'd done so well during those other attacks…apparently, the wholesale destruction of his living room was the last straw.

As for the others in the room, they were still alive as well.

Jou, almost amazingly, had had enough common sense to jump to the side of the window to avoid being mowed down by the flying car. His arms were bleeding from shielding his face from the flying glass, and he'd been clipped at last second by one of the wheels, but he'd be all right.

Unsurprisingly, in Yami's informed opinion if nothing else, Bakurah had literally jumped on top of the incoming missile, before leaping nimbly to the side and avoiding the least scrape or bruise. He'd even dragged Ryou along for the ride, and the white-haired mortal was almost as freaked out as Yugi.

"Show-off," Yami muttered, deliberately pitching his voice for the other to hear.

"Um, he-hey…di-did we make it?" Jou's voice was cracking, the blond very much unused to this sort of thing.

"I think so," Ryou answered, looking around himself unsurely.

Bakurah, of **course**, was laughing his head off.

"Oh my, how _invigorating_!" sneered the necromancer-demon, "Now how's **that** for adapting to this crazy modern era! Those big boulders never did cause the same amount of blood splashing as glass does…"

"Bakurah," Yami interrupted - deliberately because Bakurah's choice of topic was NOT being helpful in calming Yugi down, "If you'll just shut up right now, you can go and take care of all those Dammugs outside."

"…Oh? I don't even have to share?" Bakurah's eyes were gleaming.

"Man, dem freaky zombies are ALL yers," Jou agreed from where Ryou was wrapping the cuts on his arms.

"Oh GOODY! I feel like a bull in a china shop!" Bakurah giggled, before leaping for the gaping hole in the wall that used to be the window.

Once the white-haired necromancer-demon was outside - and judging from the sudden onset of loud smashing and even-louder laughter, was also having his greatest day ever - Jou had to speak up.

"What bull was he talkin' about?"

"Ignore him," Yami sighed, "That one has this 'thing' about property damage."

"And what thing is **dat**, dare I ask?"

"He lives to cause it."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Ryou said, trying to sound lighthearted about it.

"Oh man…"

Blinking, Yami looked down to see that Yugi was staring at the wreckage of his living room. The boy was repeating to himself, over and over, the words 'Oh man, oh man, oh man.'

"Are you all right?" Yami asked him.

Blinking, Yugi seemed to only now register the presence of the others.

"Uh…this is, uh, going to cost my Grandpa a fortune," Yugi explained, a peculiar expression on his face, "He's going to, ah, freak…oh _man_…"

"I think Yugi is in shock right now," Ryou suggested.

"Ah, he'll snap out of it, I think," Jou said in an attempt to be reassuring, "Right Yug'?"

"Huh? Oh…ah, yeah…um, give me a minute…" Yugi said distractedly.

"We probably don't have more than one anyway," Ryou said, "Even if Bakura destroys every one of these invisible beasts on the block, they'll just keep coming. We need to move to a safer location."

"But it looks like da whole city's infested with 'em," Jou protested, even as they headed for the back door of Yugi's house, "Are there any safe places left ta go to?"

"We'll just have to keep moving until we find the places where these monsters can't get to," Ryou answered.

"The alleys and adjoining areas should still be clear of Dammug Beasts," Yami mentioned.

Even though he was unconsciously rubbing an ear - a bit of hard-learned caution from the LAST time they'd trusted their secrecy to the alleyways - Yami was inwardly patting himself on the back. He'd actually checked for hiding places for this very situation beforehand, instead of trusting to blind luck.


	19. 19

**_(NOTE 3/8/06: Chapters have been restored to their original order! Assuming nothing ELSE goes wrong, here ya go!)_**

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Yes, this is a yaoi fic, and yes there will be fluff. But not yet, so if that's what you came for, try and hang on a little longer!

Before we have fluff, we must have ANTI-fluff! Muwahahahaha!

And that's all the hint you get. Yes, I did just make up the word anti-fluff. Got a problem with that?

PS, I don't really mean to offend genuine Christians in this chapter. This is in Yami's POV, after all...

Disclaimer: Check other chapters

* * *

- 

"Hey, we forgot Laughing Boy," Jou said when they were a block away from Yugi's house.

"He's fine," Yami said, "When he gets bored, he'll probably be able to find us easily enough.

"_Unfortunately_," the mage-demon added to himself, under his breath.

Besides, it wasn't like they didn't have their _own_ problems to worry about. Even though all the Dammug Beasts in a radius of two blocks of Yugi's house had converged on the place - and were as of the current moment being happily shredded by the waiting necromancer-demon - there were still plenty of human-made obstacles blocking their path.

The police-men, due to their sheer complete inability to cope with the situation, had erected blockades in many of the streets and were trying to prevent the ordinary humans from running head-on into one of the many fires and/or bloodbaths further down the road.

Looters, running amuck in what could only be described as a joyous sort of panic, were darting from place to place in an attempt to grab anything and everything that didn't looked nailed to the ground.

One large man in particular seemed unconcerned that Jonouchi was still wearing his jacket as he attempted to make off with it. Annoyed, the blond decked him.

Then Jou had to jump out of the way as three other people - an elderly man and two middle-aged women - dived on the fallen looter and fought for the wad of electrical cables and two bottles of shampoo the man had gotten somewhere else.

"Dis is _insane_!" Jou yelped, jumping over the flying body of another woman who was leaping into the fray, "Da whole city's gone _nuts_!"

Another man jumped out from the side at Yami, flailing about with a makeshift wooden plank/club. Delicately, Yami plucked the one-by-two piece of plywood out of the man's grasp and knocked him into the struggling pile of bodies still fighting over one of the shampoo bottles from before.

"Just keep moving," he snapped, swinging the club in his hand to estimate how much use it would be in a fight.

Against humans, it would be good enough. Against whatever _non_human elements that were mixed into the crowd…maybe it would serve as a momentary distraction.

And there were several of those. A minor troll - complete with curved horns, cloven hooves, and a dirty, hairy hide - was just across the street, smashing windows. Several humans were determinedly smashing windows right beside it, apparently not caring a whit about its presence.

When the beast paused in smashing to blow a wave of flames into the building, the humans only moved just enough to get out of the way, and used the flames to light their torches.

**Then** they wheeled 'round as a group and sprang at the troll, hacking and beating at it with their various sharp and flaming weapons.

Blinded almost right away, the stupid beast was still winning the fight by the sheer fact that it could and did break humans in half by stepping on or near them.

Yami shook his head at the pathetic sight. Humans! They were just so _impossible_.

The air stank of flying human blood and burning human flesh. And only the most thickheaded individual would miss the grim aura streaking into the sky, as more and more of the folk mortals once believed did not exist flooded into the city.

Well, they believed **now**.

Their group passed a small cluster of older humans, sitting on the sidewalk with lit candles and reading from old books.

"The Day of Judgment is upon us!" a feeble old woman screeched at them, jumping up to block their path and wave one of the books at them, "Come children, and pray to our Lord, that he will enfold us in his mercy and deliver us to the promised Paradise!"

They got past her as quickly as they could. Yami thought he heard Jou mutter something under his breath as they headed forward, but all he could make out was the word 'Christians', which meant nothing to him. A more recent concept, then.

The last he saw of the 'Christians', the blinded troll was stomping their way and they weren't even trying to move aside - what had _happened_ to humanity's common sense during the time Yami had been locked away?

No time to contemplate the fate of the foolish - the whole reason they were traveling the streets was to find a place to hide without being seen doing it.

Although, even if that worked, the monsters in the city would spread to every corner and every crack of the alleyways, searching for their target. Even if they hid Yugi in the industrial district, that wouldn't stay secret for long.

'They've unleashed utter chaos here,' Yami thought to himself - the girl and her companion were the ones he was thinking of, of course, 'Why? What could they hope to gain? And why _Yugi_?'

It felt like the answer was hovering in his mind, just out of reach…but the frenzied mob they found around the next corner drove all such minor trains of thoughts from his mind entirely.


	20. 20

**_(NOTE 3/8/06: Chapters have been restored to their original order! Assuming nothing ELSE goes wrong, here ya go!)_**

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YAY! 50 REVIEWS! MY LIFE HAS MEANING AND PURPOSE!

No, really. This gives my life meaning and purpose. Take a second and imagine how pathetic I am before you get on with the fic.

Disclaimer: Authoress owns nothing not made by her

* * *

- 

At least three hundred assorted humans had apparently decided that the blame for all their current woes rested in the hands of someone else, though none of them seemed to know _who_ exactly if their shouts were any guess.

Whoever they were blaming , they were all on the move, and determined to prove themselves right.

Unfortunately, such a tightly-packed bunch of humanity was too tempting for some of inhuman predators that were about this night. Screeching and swatting at each other with their tails in greedy delight, several gargoyles swooped down and plunged into the sea of mortal flesh that awaited them.

Louder still was the roar of those humans, who finally had something they could rip apart in their range, as they retaliated the assault.

Aside from being able to fly and claw and bite, gargoyles didn't have much skill in fighting. They were dragged from the air by rock, by club, by _hand_, and vanished into the crowd, never to be seen alive or whole again.

Their distressed cries brought more gargoyles, who avenged their fallen broodmates in a mindless bloodbath. Even more disturbingly, those humans who were unable to keep from hitting their fellows in the closely-packed mess were thusly sprung upon as, 'Monster-loving scumbags', to say the least.

Needless to say, the **only** good thing about all this was that no one in this crazed mob would notice if a few people ran into the alleyway that was just over that way…

Swinging the makeshift plywood club around, Yami was more than able to make headway in the small part of the mob that blocked his group from its goal. A few punches from Jou helped wonderfully in this respect, while Ryou and Yugi worked to keep up.

There was the small worry that the humans they were knocking unconscious would end up being trampled or eaten…partially amused and partially annoyed that he was at all concerned on the matter, the only thing Yami did to address it was to knock unconscious people off to the side, where they might be a little safer.

'I really _am_ getting soft,' he thought, but for some reason it didn't seem so bad now.

Especially when you had certain people in comparison. Like the white-haired lunatic who was currently coming in for a landing.

"What the **heck** -!" Jou yelped when he noticed what Yami was frowning at in the sky.

Having apparently run out of Dammug Beasts to play with, Bakurah had hijacked a ride on a gargoyle and was currently steering it towards the middle of the mob. The stupid animal obviously wasn't thrilled with serving as transportation, but since it couldn't reach Bakurah it was instead lashing out at everything else nearby.

Slashing at the sensitive wings of the beast, Bakurah insured it would go into a total frenzy without anymore help from him, before jumping off and neatly landing on the sidewalk like a cat. And sure enough, the gargoyle plowed into its fellows, snapping and tearing, until they too vanished in the mass of humanity.

"_HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH!_" Bakurah roared, "Oh, I can't even REMEMBER the last time I had this much FUN!"

"Hello again, Bakura," Ryou managed to say politely.

He was the only one among them who was willing to grant the necromancer-demon even that much courtesy. And even then, it was probably only because Ryou still very much had his magical whistle of pain that Bakurah only responded with a 'feh' noise before turning to face Yami.

"Sticking with the _blunt_ objects, I see," Bakurah sneered, casually gesturing towards Jou and Yugi as he spoke, "Oh, you used to be so much more…**entertaining**, Pharaoh."

"Enough, thief," Yami snapped, "If you would kindly stop preening long enough to look around you, you might notice we were trying to -"

"Find a safe hiding place for the mortals, I **know**," Bakurah sighed, rolling his eyes, "Like, say, that old warehouse that's hidden in the alleys, oh-so-very near here, hmm?"

Luckily, the momentary distraction of hitting someone over the head with a piece of wood kept Yami's surprise from being visible, but Bakurah would know anyway, curse him!

"Of course," Yami retorted when they had all finally made it to the alley mouth, "Since you know _so_ much about skulking like a coward in the safety of the shadows, Bakurah, you can guide us straight there."

"Not ta break up yer little love-fest an' all," Jou cautiously interrupted, "But I think we got us an' angry mini-mob heading dis way!"

Some people in the main mob had broken off from the rest. Now totally riled up, they had noticed their much smaller group fighting their way through the mess and gotten it into their heads that here were five weaklings who were on the side of their enemies.

And they were coming over to deal out 'punishment'.

Still, they were only human, and there was only twenty or so of them. Easily dealt with, even if killing them wasn't such a good idea for some reason.

"I'll take care of this," Yami said, "You all go on ahead without me."

"Is that a good idea? Will you be okay?" Yugi piped up - the first thing he'd said in some time.

And because it was Yugi speaking, Yami made a point of trying to smile reassuringly. Since Yugi appeared more reassured afterwards, this apparently worked.

"Don't worry," he said, "I'll be right behind you in just a moment."

Thusly comforted, the mortals began trooping down the alley. Yami was about to turn and face the oncoming threat when he realized Bakurah was still there.

Not only that - he was standing _extremely_ close -

"You still look so **adorable** when you get all **noble**, you know," the other breathed into his ear.

It took Yami a second to understand what Bakurah had just said to him. Then there was another second's pause as shock replaced itself with a white-hot blast of rage, and before he could stop himself - not that he very much _wanted_ to stop himself - Yami slashed at the other's head with fully-extended claws.

Bakurah had been expecting that, though, and dodged easily.

"How **dare** you," Yami snarled, "Traitorous bastard…"

"_Relax_, star-head," Bakurah purred, "You're old news. I have **my** eye on someone a little less pig-headed right now."

And with that final shot, Bakurah turned to stride briskly after the mortals, who hadn't even noticed any of this.


	21. 21

**_(NOTE 3/8/06: Chapters have been restored to their original order! Assuming nothing ELSE goes wrong, here ya go!)_**

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Hey you guys, it _clearly_ says in my bio that there is actual and implied Yaoi in this fic.

I just decided to mess around with which was which. ALL HAIL AUTHORESS POWERS!

As I figure it, you have a choice between Puzzleshipping, Darkshipping, Casteshipping, and Tendershipping thus far. That might or might not change, but you'll need to read to find out...

Disclaimer: Same stuff as last time, idjits

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- 

'_Damn_ it…how **dare** he bring that up again,' Yami growled at himself as he prepared to deal with the twenty-some humans rushing towards him.

Since - as far as Yami was concerned - humans tended to be extremely slow, this gave him plenty of time to think of inventive ways of disemboweling the tomb-robber.

At least the only thing that had touched him had been the breath on his ear. If Bakurah had been any closer…and that traitor had the nerve to go boasting about his 'new interest'! Did Bakurah honestly think he _cared_? Or that Yami would be - ancestors forbid - **jealous**?

'How am I supposed to be jealous? All I want is to kill him,' Yami berated himself, 'And possibly to know what unfortunate imbecile he has his sights set on now…'

But now there was no more time for that - the slow humans had finally reached the distance where they could be considered a possible threat.

"It's time ta pay, ya monster-loving sonavabitch!" the lead human bellowed.

Unfortunately for him and his followers, Yami was now in a **very** foul mood that needed to be taken care of. Couldn't go scaring the mortals he was supposed to be protecting, after all! Nope, that wouldn't do.

Instead of merely holding his ground, Yami jumped forward, makeshift club swinging, and met the humans head-on. It was pathetically easy to subdue them, but once he'd thrust himself in their group Yami almost wished he hadn't.

Angry and panicky humans in groups were humans who desperately needed to _bathe_. Up close, Yami's nose hurt with the power of the stenches he was picking up: sweat, blood (albeit that wasn't as bad), even whiffs of fading noxious perfumes…

And there was something else.

It smelled like a freshly-ground spice, one a rich man of the time before he'd been sealed away would have slathered over his meat. It seemed like…cinnamon, maybe? Was that the right word?

Oh, who cared. So someone in the group had eaten recently. Nothing to be concerned about.

Before most of the humans could know what had hit them, Yami had whacked them all senseless with his club (it broke on the last one's head, the thing WAS only plywood) and, as a afterthought, pulled them over to the side so they wouldn't be so easily stepped on.

Then it was time to go down the alley and make certain Bakurah hadn't done something similar to the mortals he was supposed to be protecting. Unless one of them was the new interest, of course…

"AGH! I'm going to do something I'm going to regret Yugi witnessing the second I see him again," Yami huffed, trudging down the alley.

He was so flustered - not that he'd ever admit to being so for _this_ particular reason - he almost missed picking up that the person following him was - swinging something at his head!

It almost hit, too, because that's how upset Yami was.

But it didn't.

The object in question was a lead pipe. And the person swinging it was a human girl, only about twelve years of age judging from sight.

Nonplussed with her surprise attack being detected and deflected, the strange girl swung her pipe at him again. This time, Yami grabbed the pipe and pulled on it, planning to just disarm and disable her before returning to the others.

But this mortal had a strangely strong grip: instead of taking her pipe, Yami ended up yanking her towards him. And she took advantage of her proximity to jump up and head butt him.

The fact that such a young mortal should be so strong, not to mention reek of that weird scent - spicy and strange - would have been a clear enough giveaway, but as he was stepping back from that surprisingly painful knock to the head, Yami caught sight of her eyes.

Almost normal human eyes, dark brown in color - dark enough that one would easy overlook the fact that she had _no pupils whatsoever_.

"**Shifter**!" Yami spat, backhanding the 'girl' full force.

Unfortunately, possessing a typical shape-shifter's iron constitution, she only staggered a few steps away without falling down.

"Ho ho," she laughed, "So, you're as clever as we were warned you might be, foolish rogue. Did you think disguising yourself like the boy would fool me?"

"Perhaps, if you're enough the fool," he shot back, "Did you think disguising yourself as a weak child would fool _me_?"

"Shall I take a form with the power to destroy you then? Ah, yes, good idea!"

The 'girl's' shape began to change. Arms grew bigger, most muscled, armored in a leathery hide with small, sharp spikes jutting at the elbows and shoulders. To match, the shifter increased its height and muscles all over its body.

"How does this body make you feel, oh soon-to-be-dead?" the shifter laughed in a new voice, deeper and rougher and more masculine, "Do I detect a hint of fear in you? _Excellent_!"

In truth, Yami was NOT scared. Sure, he was very worried, and had very little hope of coming through this fight uninjured. But he wasn't going to let this foul monstrosity taunt him and get away with it!

The shifter's new form was powerful-looking, but Yami was faster. Before it could move a step, Yami had already slashed at it several times in several places with his claws.

His claws barely scratched the shifter's tough skin, and when it did strike back it was surprisingly and brutally fast. The first slash, which would have gutted Yami had it landed, was impossible to evade.

By turning his body around in the nick of time, Yami avoided being instantly killed. But the four slashes now crossing his abdomen were bleeding and stung painfully.

Nonplussed by Yami's near-escape, the shifter swung its outstretched arm back around, easily slamming the mage-demon into the brick wall with enough force to shatter several bricks.

Gasping for air, Yami's body slid involuntarily to the ground, leaving him a pathetically easy target for the shifter's kick. This strike, hitting his chest with the force of a freight train, snapped four ribs like twigs. The scream of pain Yami was unable to hold back caused the shifter to pause in its onslaught in order to laugh.

"Aww, poor baby," it sneered, kneeling down to shove its face in front of its prone victims', "Rogue fall down, go 'crunch'."

"…_Bastard_," Yami choked out, along with a bit of blood, "I'll see you DEAD, shifter!"

"Will you indeed?" the shifter said, "Hmm. You should be dead yourself…but then why do you still look like the mortal whelp that Lord Hauru has been at us all to find and catch? Could your true appearance be but a copy of him?"

The shifter laughed.

"Well then! _You_ match _him_, therefore I shall match you!"

And to Yami's horror, the shifter's appearance changed, until the face he was staring at was his own.

"That little runt trusts you," the shifter grinned, his tone so identical to Yami's own that he wanted to scream, "So if you go tell him about this really safe place for him to hide…"

"Touch him and I **will** use your skull as a _wine cup_," Yami hissed.

"So amusing…too bad you're going to die now."

The shifter sprang to its feet, and the last thing Yami clearly remembered before darkness took his mind was the sight of his own boot slamming down to stomp on his neck.


	22. 22

**_(NOTE 3/8/06: Chapters have been restored to their original order! Assuming nothing ELSE goes wrong, here ya go!)_**

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Yadda yadda yadda, same stuff as usual...same begging on hands and knees for reviews...and now the REAL reason you're all here: a new chapter!

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Disclaimer/Claimer: see other chapters

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It was peaceful, deep in the darkness. A calming exhaustion enfolded the mind and body. Soon there would be sleep.

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Despite how restful it was, something flickered, a bothersome twitch that nagged, like an itch begging to be scratched.

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Wasn't he forgetting something…?

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…Well…

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There seemed to be something significant about the fading little flicker at the edge of his mind.

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As he tried to remember, it got smaller, and smaller…

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The last gasping flickers of a dying candle.

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…Oh. So that was it. He was dying.

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That explained it.

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An endless moment later he wondered if he should do something about that.

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Maybe…

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Death would be nice. A chance to rest…

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But there was something he was supposed to be doing, wasn't there?

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That sounded right. He was supposed to be doing his job.

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And didn't dying mean he'd failed…to protect…

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The fading flicker of Yami's consciousness and life suddenly exploded to full size, fed by the force of strong, remembered panic.

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What he returned to was even worse: his body, heavy and cold and aching, but something inside his chest was hurting, **burning** -

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'_It **hurts** because you're not **breathing**_,' some mercifully sensible corner of his mind screamed at him, '_Idiot! **Open your mouth!**_'

The gasp of air was also a gasp of pain. Oh yeah, he'd cracked those ribs fighting the shifter, hadn't he…

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'NO!' Yami gasped mentally - using his voice hurt too much right now - as reality kicked him in the teeth, 'That THING is going after the others…and it's disguised as me! I have to stop it!'

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But first things first, though: the reason he couldn't move had to be dealt with. The last thing he clearly remembered had been a foot on his neck…now it was almost broken.

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Literally. A section whose size was only that of his thumbnail was what had separated Yami from instant death.

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Grimacing at the extra pain he had to inflict on himself, Yami gathered his magic and mentally aimed it at repairing the cracked vertebrae in his neck.

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His ribs needed mending too, but that would take magic which Yami fully expected he'd need to fight with. The throbbing in his chest would serve as a good goad, which he more than deserved for allowing this situation to happen at all.

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Walking proved most interesting.

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Thankfully, the warehouse Bakurah had spoken of wasn't too far away…but unless you knew it was there - something you really could only know if you had the ability to jump from roof to roof of the adjoining skyscrapers - it was effectively invisible from prying eyes.

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The shifter would have to trace the trail left by the mortals, but there were other, faster shortcuts. Still, without knowing exactly how long he'd been unconscious, Yami did his best to hurry.

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He was dragging himself along the side of the alleyway, only a few meters away from the wall of the lot where the warehouse had been built - back when people had come by and needed to be kept out - when the first magical blast rocked the ground.

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As expected.

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**No** shifter, no matter how good it was at imitation, would be able to pose as himself and manage to fool Bakurah, Yami knew.

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Even though the reason for the other's in-depth knowledge of himself also sickened him, if it was keeping the mortals alive and Yugi safe, he'd find a way to live with it.

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More blasts were thrown - the shifter was even capable of mimicking Yami's magic, a bad sign - along with whatever heavy objects the two combatants had at hand.

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Thankfully, the yells of the humans showed that none of _them_ was being thrown…yet…

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'…Almost…there…' Yami mentally groaned, his throat still aching from abuse.

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In his current condition. the gate to the warehouse lot looked rather intimidating, not to mention _heavy_…however, before Yami got there, it was thoughtfully removed for him by someone's magical blast.


	23. 23

**_(NOTE 3/8/06: Chapters have been restored to their original order! Assuming nothing ELSE goes wrong, here ya go!)_**

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What can I say? Last chapter was a filler chapter.

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THIS one is fun. Yami B-style fun.

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Disclaimer: Yugioh not owned here

Claimer: original stuff and plot owned here

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With the gate out of the picture, now Yami could hear what was being said - yelled, whichever - in the fighting.

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"Honestly, I have never met anyone so **interested** in their demise as you, little worm…" said the shifter - still speaking in Yami's own voice, making the mage-demon cringe and growl simultaneously.

"Hah! Haven't you figured out yet that your little words mean nothing to me?" sneered Bakurah.

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"Yeah, you tell 'em!"

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This was from the blond, possibly even well-meant, and despite the desire to encourage that Jou had, Bakurah would most definitely prefer to lose on purpose than accept even this vaguest sort of mortal help.

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"How can you _say_ that?" the shifter addressed the mortal, taking a sickeningly offended tone, "Aren't I your _friend_?"

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"No!"

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The sound of Yugi's voice made the listening mage-demon start.

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"You're not our friend," Yugi continued in a more subdued voice, "You're not who you look like…in fact, I guess you're not really a person at all, are you?"

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Yami groaned and started moving faster.

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Technically, it was a good thing to say, since it would make the shifter extremely angry. The nature of being a shifter meant that whatever they looked like was always fake, and this information was considered to be the leading cause of shape-shifter mental instability.

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On the other hand, making a shifter extremely angry - especially on this particular point - was really just another way of saying, 'I'm an astonishingly foolhardy and mouthy pipsqueak: PLEASE pop off my skull and pound it into mush with a cinderblock.' No matter what the shifter had been ordered about keeping that person alive.

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The inarticulate roar Yugi got in response kind of underlined Yami's point.

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_Finally!_ The mage-demon had finally reached the ruined gateway, and peeked inside to see what - if anything - he could do.

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The situation looked bad. Jou and Ryou had - wisely - stayed over on the far side of the lot. Bakurah and the shifter were in the middle, and it almost looked like Bakurah was trying to keep the shifter away from Yugi, who was a **lot** closer to the fight than Yami preferred.

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_Still_ disguised as Yami - and a little bruised and scraped up, but otherwise it/he was still in top form - the shifter had his back to the gateway. Bakurah was a little too busy trying to keep his entrails from being clawed out to look at anything else, and the mortals were too distracted to notice the real Yami was watching them.

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With Bakurah busy fending off the claws, the shifter managed to land a kick on the necromancer-demon, sending the white-haired fiend skittering backwards to sprawl at Yugi's feet.

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Baring fang in a grimace, the shifter raised its hand, claws bared, and fully intending to ignore Bakurah - who it considered beaten - until after it had finished destroying Yugi.

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Yami made a point of striking first.

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Calling up his available magic - there was still plenty of it, even after fixing his neck - Yami threw a snake at the shifter.

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In magical terms, a 'snake' happened to be a type of magical blast that served to avoid counter-blasting, could curve around any and all physical obstacles, and would then plunge like a sword through whichever body part the castor wanted to see impaled.

Naturally, this spell was considered a hallmark of the Black Arts, and it was one of Yami's favorites. And as always, it worked perfectly.

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The shifter screamed in surprise and pain as the snake swiveled around from behind to impale its hand from the front, before plunging in and out of the monster's arm several more times.

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A better entrance than that, Yami couldn't have dreamt of in his wildest imaginings.

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Ripping the rapidly-dissolving snake out of his arm, the shifter turned to see who had dared attacked it - and snarled in angry surprise.

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"_YOU!_" it roared.

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Yami knew he should be angry at the despicable creature, but he found himself chuckling instead. The shifter did look amusing in a pathetic sort of way, after all…although Yami knew that he himself looked like a total mess.

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And laughing made his broken ribs grate against each other. Casually holding them in place with one hand, Yami flexed the claws on his other hand and did an impressive full-fanged grin - and tried to ignore how much blood he could taste in his mouth.

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"I _believe_," Yami said next, his tone impressively happy-sounding despite how raspy his voice was at the moment, "That we were in the **middle** of something…before you ran away."

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"I left you **dead**, you pathetic little twig," the shifter growled back, leaving both the downed Bakurah and a rather shock-struck Yugi to stalk towards its newly rediscovered opponent.

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"Just a hint," Yami replied, "When you attempt to crush someone's neck…**do** try to do it **correctly** the next time."

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"How about I just remove your head instead, you little runt -!" the shifter snarled, leaping forward with claws at the ready.

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Yami waited, and waited, and then - now!

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Ignoring his screaming ribs, Yami ducked under the shifter's leap, letting it collide with the wall instead. It managed to correct its attack very slightly, leaving a bleeding slash on Yami' forehead. Only a flesh wound, he noted, nothing serious.

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Before it could do any more damage, Yami retaliated by cupping his hands together for the most powerful blast of dark magic he could manage - knowing better than to underestimate that shifter constitution again.

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The mortals were getting the weirdest-looking fight imaginable from this - one Yami was now smoldering, having just been blasted twenty feet, and the other Yami looked like he'd been through ten fights already, even though he was the one who had just blasted the other one!

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Bakurah was enjoying the show as well - even though he was still mad that he'd been losing before.

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"Hah!" barked Bakurah, "And how were you going to beat me if you can't even beat this weakling?"

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The shifter scrambled to its feet, burned and bleeding all over, and made a point of spitting in Bakurah's direction - thus indicating what it thought of Bakurah's supposed superiority.

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"Huh huh huh," it chuckled, "But I don't need to bother with you foolish solids…just for finding your little vermin-infested hidey-hole, the Master will greatly reward me!"

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And the shifter changed shape, dropping Yami's now-ruined form for that of a gargoyle.

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It took to the air before anyone could stop it, but it didn't get far.

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Several more snakes slashed the 'gargoyle's' wings to useless pieces, and it landed with a yowl of pain. Stupidly, the shifter chose to charge at Yami instead of attempting to flee the area on foot, apparently aiming to make the mage-demon pay for all this trouble.

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It was a perfectly straight charge, and it left Yami with a perfectly straight shot. Drawing on the majority of his reserves, Yami let the shifter _almost_ reach him before unleashing one of his most famous and dangerous techniques.

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In a split-second, and with a slight flash of negative light, Yami **broke** the shape-shifter - broke it mind and soul.

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Functionally dead, the shifter fell in a heap at Yami's feet. Without anything controlling the shape, it's form became something more neutral, all gooey and slate-gray.

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Yami stepped backwards, getting out of the way before it could ooze over his boots.


	24. 24

**_(NOTE 3/8/06: Chapters have been restored to their original order! Assuming nothing ELSE goes wrong, here ya go!)_**

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Yeah, turns out my 'nifty chapter title theme' idea is too small for the number of chapters in this fic.

Therefore, I'll be having a little contest. You guys should tell me your ideas, and one of those 'chapter title themes' will be used in this fic. Plus, the winner - or winners - will get an already posted chapter of their choice dedicated to them. Results will be posted with the next chapter. Hope this works!

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Disclaimer: Yugioh not owned here

Claimer: Stuff Invented By Me owned here

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A vague blur of motion was all the warning Yami received before several enthusiastic mortals converged on him, all of whom were surprisingly delighted to find him alive.

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"Da way ya put dat creep down, dat was so totally _awesome_ -!" Jou was cheering.

"We were all very worried, even Bakura, though I imagine he'll never admit it -" Ryou was mentioning.

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"Oh _wow_, Pharaoh," Bakurah sneered as he slinked up, ruining the cheery scene, "I haven't smelled so much blood coming out of you since nigh on three days ago! Going for the record of most times almost bleeding to death in a row? I can help with that one - in fact, I'd LOVE to help with that one!"

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"Oh no!" cried the mortals, "You really ARE bleeding!"

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Then Yami had to fend off Ryou's attempts to play doctor with his portable first aid kit, and Jou needed to have fangs snapped at him several times before he would allow Yami to continue walking under his own power.

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Finally, Yami managed to get settled in a quiet and most importantly solitary corner of the warehouse they were camping out in for the rest of the night.

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He had even refused the painkillers Ryou had found in the bottom of his first aid bag, though the lure of not having to feel all this very incredible agony was very incredibly tempting. Maybe he'd take one later.

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But right now, he needed the pain. It helped him in healing spells, to know exactly what was broken, and there was no better guide than pain. Unfortunately, Yami wasn't a true healer - those used a completely different base of magic - and his skill in this area was mostly self-taught.

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It was a nasty surprise to find out why he'd nearly been drooling blood…a splintered rib had taken a nose-dive into one of his lungs. How nice!

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Popping the bones back into their places and knitting them enough to stay there, along with shoring up the rest of his more serious internal damage, cost the rest of his reserves of power.

With the dregs, Yami was barely able to set up a weak spell that would divert his regenerating magic directly into healing the damage, and settled back to wait through the time that would take.

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This warehouse, though abandoned, was still filled with many boxes and other things. Although he couldn't see them, Yami could hear Yugi and Jou investigating, and felt himself smile slightly when their search was rewarded with a cloud of dust that left them and Ryou sneezing.

Things quieted down as the mortals settled down to sleep. Even Bakurah, who would have to keep watch since he was the one in fighting condition, had curled up somewhere and gone to sleep - Yami could just tell.

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So, as much as he needed the rest, Yami stayed alert in his little nook of the warehouse. In this case, pain proved helpful in helping him do his job.

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Unfortunately, this meant Yami was alone with his thoughts, who were circling and chasing each other 'round and 'round the inside of his head.

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Where would they go to next…they obviously couldn't stay here forever…how was he supposed to stop the girl and that other demon…had the shifter called him 'Hauru'?…why was this 'Hauru' person causing so much chaos in this human city in the first place…

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Then there were his more familiar woes: everything about Bakurah, and even some about the mortals…and then there was how very tired and alone he so suddenly and deeply felt right now…

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Yami roused himself, belatedly realizing he'd been dozing without meaning to. What had woken him, though?

"Um," Yugi said, clearing his throat - again, apparently.

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It was very dim with no lights, but Yami could easily see how hesitantly he was being approached…and how Yugi was vaguely amused at catching the mage-demon napping, although he was trying to be polite and not show it.

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"Yes?" Yami inquired.

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"Um, I…um," Yugi said, "Well…I guess I wanted to see if you wanted a blanket or something…"

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He was holding one in his hands, too…suddenly feeling annoyed with how uncomfortable Yugi looked, just standing there, Yami gestured at him to sit down.

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When the mortal looked like he was going to just drop the blanket and leave out of nervousness instead, Yami managed to say, "Well, come on, you don't want to stand there all night do you," in a mostly calm-and-normal tone of voice.

'Don't read into it,' Yami told himself sternly as Yugi sat down nearby, 'He probably couldn't see your hand moving…its dark in here for mortals…'

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'Or maybe he's truly terrified of you, now that he's seen you fight…'

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"Are you going to be okay, Yami?" Yugi asked him, after another moment's silence.

"I will be whole and healthy again, soon enough," Yami replied, temporarily startling the human, who hadn't really expected a response.

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"Of course," Yugi mumbled to himself next, "He's using his magic…"

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"Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of that left at the moment, so it will take a little while," Yami added.

0 

Yugi jerked, not realizing that Yami had been able to hear him. For some reason, this was funny, and Yami allowed himself a small smile, knowing that his face was in shadow and Yugi wouldn't be able to spot it.

0

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"You're laughing at me," Yugi accused him.

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This time it was Yami's turn to be shocked.

0

"…You have gotten surprisingly better night vision since the last time I saw you," Yami said.

"Not really," Yugi shrugged, "I could just tell because of your eyes."

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His eyes?

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"My eyes?" Yami blinked.

0

"Yeah, they kinda glow…didn't you know?" Yugi hesitated, able to see how the mage-demon was reacting to this tidbit of information.

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"My eyes glow?" Yami repeated, still blinking.

0

"I'll show you - I borrowed this mirror from Ryou," Yugi said, pulling out a small mirror, "See? Here, look."

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Holding the mirror up to his face, Yami looked at his eyes carefully and found out that Yugi was right. His eyes were like a cat's eyes, narrow-slitted and glowing, except that no cat had eyes of crimson.

All those times he had imagined his eyes had flashed, to get a more intimidating effect…and his eyes had been able to flash this entire time. Why hadn't anyone MENTIONED this?

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'I need to start paying better attention to myself,' Yami thought to himself, before noticing something else.

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"Haven't you ever seen yourself in a mirror before?" Yugi blinked, utterly surprised at the reactions he was getting.

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Specifically, the reactions of having Yami investigating all his facial features and his hair in the little mirror.

0

"You've never even seen your reflection?" Yugi prodded.

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"Hmm? You mean, in an actual mirror?" Yami looked puzzled by the question.

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Then he remembered something, from very long ago, and grinned. 

"Actually, there was this one time…"

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"One time of what?" Yugi asked.

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"Well…" Yami admitted, "The last time I saw myself in a real mirror, was when I was very young."

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"And?" Yugi nudged, when Yami hesitated - having figured out there was actually a little story behind this incident.

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"I'd, err, actually snuck into my sister's room, and there on this table were all sorts of bottles and brushes of all these smelly things - her perfumes and cosmetics…"

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"And?" Yugi nudged again - although the boy was smiling now, having gathered a bit of an idea on how this tale was going to be ending.

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"Well…" And Yami was really embarrassed about this part, "There was also a mirror. So I could see…what happened…when…

"…Ugh, when I put all that stinky stuff on my head," Yami finally finished, and glared at Yugi, who was holding his sides and trying desperately not to laugh loudly.

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"You…were…trying on…_makeup?_" the boy wheezed out between frantic giggles.

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"I was a little kid! Its not funny!" Yami protested. 

"Oh yes it is," Yugi giggled, "I'll bet - hee hee - you looked so pretty too!"

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Now the mortal was flat on his back, holding his sides tightly, giggling loudly and **really** not encouraging Yami to tell this story in the future to anyone. For lack of anything else he could do in retaliation, Yami grabbed the wadded blanket and threw it at Yugi's head, muffling the giggling somewhat.

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Once the mortal managed to calm himself down, he scooted over to a seat against the wall, right next to Yami, blanket in hand.

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"Anyway, so that's what you look like," Yugi said, trying to put some sort of closing cap on the discussion, "Is it really that surprising?"

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"A bit," Yami admitted, "I looked a lot different when I was younger."

"Really? How different?" Yugi wondered.

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'Wait, why did I say that? Now I'll have to tell him!' Yami berated himself mentally, 'I can't bury **that** part of my past if I keep _telling_ him about it! Is there any way to fix this? …_Maybe_…'

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"Well…" Yami said, stalling for time.

"Well, what did you look like?" Yugi asked again, not planning on being denied his answer.

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"…Actually, a lot like this," Yami said, holding the mirror so that Yugi's face was reflected in it.

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Why not? It was true, wasn't it?

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"You used…to look just like me?" blinked the mortal.

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"Not exactly like, but very close," Yami said.

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The other was looking at his reflection with interest, and Yami found he couldn't resist adding: "That is, of course, AFTER I added the perfumes and cosmetics…"

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"Hey!" Yugi yelped, lightly swatting the mage-demon on the arm, "Are you trying to call me pretty or something?"

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Oh, that HURT. The boy he found so very attractive had just asked if Yami had called him pretty.

Fighting back his blush tooth and nail, and barely managing to pitch what he hoped to every god and demon was casual amusement into his voice, Yami stammered out a reply of, "I never said the word 'pretty', I think that was you, right?"

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To Yami's ecstatic relief and utter disappointment, Yugi decided he was being teased and made a face.

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Then he yawned. 

"You should get some sleep," Yami suggested.

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There was some more relief and disappointment - this time from opposite points of view inside Yami's head - as Yugi nodded, took the advice…and curled into the mage-demon's side, dropping off instantly.

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"That wasn't what I meant," Yami muttered, feeling his face flushing more already.

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But despite how it would have been quite reasonable to shift the slumbering mortal to a place that wasn't directly on top of his broken ribs, Yami mulled it over for a bit and surprised himself by deciding to leave Yugi be.

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So there they were, alone in the corner, Yugi's head resting on Yami's shoulder…in the dark…

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'Its just because he's asleep…its **just** because he's asleep,' Yami mentally repeated to himself, over and over, 'Don't read into it…don't even **try** to read into it the slightest little **bit**…'

…Bit of a pity, though…Yugi's hair did smell awfully nice...

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'…Not a bit, no matter how much I wish he were fully aware of what the hell he's doing to me…' the mage-demon added with a sigh.


	25. 25

**_(NOTE 3/8/06: Chapters have been restored to their original order! Assuming nothing ELSE goes wrong, here ya go!)_**

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I'm sorry, but in my ignorance I _assumed_ people already _read_ the stuff up here...

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Not even a _single_ idea! My fic is **so** terrible that **no** one wants a chapter dedicated to them?

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Contest will be continued until the last chapter is posted. C'mon ppl, any (almost) sort of idea is welcome! Help make this fic a better reading experience by providing the theme for cool chapter titles!

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Disclaimer: Chaos Chao does not own Yugioh

Claimer: Chaos Chao owns the stuff she invented...lets see, thats Dammug Beasts, the shape-shifter, the Korikosos thing, what else is there...?

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Several more hours passed. Yami found himself dozing more than once, interrupted only a few times by his collective aches and pains and exactly one time by Jou.

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The blond, having woken up to answer nature's call, discovered Yugi's absence and went to look for him. And Jonouchi had the blasted **gall** to _laugh_ when he found the so-called 'adorable' position they were sitting in!

It was ONLY because brutally thrashing the idiot boy would have woken Yugi that Yami restrained himself. Getting the hint of what would have happened otherwise, Jou stayed long enough to drape the blanket over his friend before returning to his own sleeping spot.

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It grew lighter in the warehouse, as dawn approached. Not that the sun would _actually_ rise, but that was a minor detail for the mortals to fuss about later on.

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Ribs healed and the aches slowly subsided as Yami turned his returning magic to the cuts and bruises he had ignored until now. When that was all taken care of, sleep felt almost irresistible, but it seemed like Yami had barely closed his eyes before he roused to the sensation of Yugi's weight being removed from his side.

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Sliding his eyes open slightly revealed that Yugi had woken up on his own and left, leaving the blanket draped over Yami instead. And was that a trick of the light or a manifestation of Yami's overly-hopeful imagination, or had Yugi actually been blushing to find them in such a situation? No way to tell.

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Another half-hour of being half-asleep, and Yami judged the mortals were being noisy enough for him to be 'woken up'.

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"Oh man, I'm hungry enough ta eat Leftover Lunchmeat Lollapalooza at da cafeteria," Jou was grumbling, shaking out his jacket in apparent hope that some sort of food would fall out of the empty pockets.

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"The idea of being in mortal danger seemed a little bit more important than bringing any food at the time," Ryou pointed out.

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"If we're going to stay here, we'll need supplies," Yugi pointed out, before turning and greeting Yami with a cheerful "Good Morning!"

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"_Hah!_ You call **dis** _morning'_?" Jou snorted, "It's still dark! Like an eclipse!"

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"Well of course its dark," Bakurah hissed, striding into view from whatever niche he'd spent the night in, "Weak monsters fry in sunlight. Idiot."

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"Well pardon **me** fer not being an evil psychopath like ya are," Jou grumbled, "So, what do we do with dis food problem? Are we staying here?"

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"Only scared little bunnies and other defenseless creatures stay hidden in their little hidey-holes," Bakurah sneered.

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His words were normal enough, but Yami picked up on how the necromancer-demon kept peeking at him from the corner of his eye. The usual venom in his tone seemed almost forced, which gave Yami's formally half-baked theory on who Bakurah was interested in new credence.

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'Its as if he doesn't want me to know that its one of them…he thinks that if he acts normally, I'll assume that he was making it up to bother me…' Yami mused to himself, 'But its obvious that whoever it is, Bakurah's completely _fallen_ for them!'

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Though he was keeping his composure outwardly, internally Yami was grinning fiendishly. At the very least, Yami was now being offered an endless chance to tease and mock the annoying Bakurah…the greater possibilities included blackmail.

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"Surprisingly, he has a point," Yami said aloud, giving no indication of his true thoughts, "We need to keep moving…and we need to get to the source of all this madness and put a stop to it once and for all."

0

"Bra-VO," Bakurah sneered, "Your speeches are so inspiring, Pharaoh!"

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'If he's faking, he's laying it on pretty thick,' Yami noted with annoyance.

0

0

Bakurah seemed to figure it out, because he refrained from making any more comments as they packed up and headed out. The alleyways were mostly deserted, but here and there were humans, singularly or in little groups, cowering in the refuge of the city's narrow hiding places.

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They regarded the passing teenagers and demons with feral suspicion, and not even Jou tried to approach any of them.

0 

The streets were a mess, especially where the mob had been last night, but were eerily deserted of both humans and supernatural creatures for the most part.

0

Yugi and Jou insisted on going to the hospital to check up on Honda. Ryou agreed, Bakurah just made a 'huff' sound, and so off to the hospital they went.

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The hospital - one of several in the city - had been turned into a fortress during the course of the night. Many of the town Fire-men, Police-men, and also other humans who were identified as being part of 'The Army' ringed the building with several barricades.

Inside those barricades, wounded and terrified humans were being tended to. There was food to be had - the three humans gladly helped themselves to it - and the place reeked of fear and ill humans.

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Bakurah left to find someplace 'less utterly disgusting and unpleasant', as he put it, within minutes. Yami would have done something similar if Bakurah hadn't come up with the idea first, so he held his breath when necessary and bore it as best he could.

0

Honda was up and volunteering with the 'doctor' healers of the hospital: they found him working amongst some other humans who had been attacked by gargoyles, and some of them were suffering from the same side-effect as he had.

0 

Plenty of those hadn't gotten treatment in time, if they had ever gotten it at all. And while Bakurah would have been more than capable of coping with the stench of decaying flesh, Yami had never dabbled in necromancy.

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It was the smell. He'd never had the stomach to ignore it like Bakurah could - and there was so MUCH of it filling the air around him right now that Yami was EXTREMELY grateful he'd turned down the food he'd been offered.

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"Guys, I am SO glad you're okay," Honda greeted them, "Hi…Ryou, right?"

"Yes," Ryou replied.

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"Busy night, huh?" Jou said, trying to sound glib and failing miserably. 

"You don't know the half of it," Honda sighed, "And it turns out that being x-rayed fixes this for some reason, but they need the x-ray machines for tons of other stuff besides this - not to mention lots of people didn't figure out what was wrong and get here until it was too late…"

0

One of the doctors came over at this point and chided Honda for chatting on the job.

The brunette explained that 'his friends and folks were here and they wanted to see him', and the doctor managed a smile and sent them off, to the eternal relief of Yami's senses.


	26. 26

**_(NOTE 3/8/06: Chapters have been restored to their original order! Assuming nothing ELSE goes wrong, here ya go!)_**

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Thanks for the reviews. Will try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can, but with the strain and stress of doing absolutely nothing, who knows whether I'll be able to manage it...

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Don't look at me like that, being lazy is hard work!

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Disclaimer: I own what belongs to me, and that don't include Yugioh

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Honda was quickly filled in on the situation - he even had the nerve to give Yami a sympathetic expression when he heard about the various states of injury the mage-demon had gotten to experience during his absence, something Yami countered with a fierce glare - and they decided to head out now while the nasty monsters were lying low.

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Getting out past the barricades seemed harder than getting in, at least for the others - misguided humans trying to protect other humans.

Still, even during the daytime, there were ways to sneak in and out, and soon they were all several streets away and trying to determine which way they should go next.

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Bakurah reappeared out of the blue, sneered how "Pathetic it was to waste time like this, because monsters don't kill _themselves_, you know…well, not **that** often anyway," and had a great time being introduced to Honda, especially since the brunette had been scared witless by the fiend's surprise arrival.

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"While you and the humans were having your little love-fest," the necromancer-demon next said, this time talking to Yami, "I was able to trace the source of all these little difficulties. And they're all coming from this dinky little hovel on the other side of town -"

"- That's painted blue and has a slanted gray roof, two chimneys, wall-length windows on the east side, is directly across its street from a condemned parking garage, and that just so happens to reek of a negative demonic aura for exactly ten square feet on all sides, am I correct?" Yami interrupted.

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Bakurah blinked at him, gaping like an idiot, for almost an entire minute, much to Yami's surprise and delight. This exquisitely rare expression was going to be carved into the depths of Yami's brain for permanent recollection.

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"_…How…_" the fiend managed to force out next.

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"It was nothing special - except that _I_ traced that house _several_ weeks ago," Yami smirked.

0

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Even though this was the greatest moment of Yami's life - as far as he knew, anyway - the impeccably accurate description of the house in question had been recognized by some of the other people present.

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"…_Shit_," Jou cursed, "Dat's Anzu's house."

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'Double shit,' Yami mentally cursed, seeing how Yugi's face went as the boy also remembered that little tidbit of information.

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An ominous air of quiet hung over the group for a bit, while this information was mulled over by its various members. Surprisingly, it was Bakurah who broke the silence, and not as viciously as he could have done so either.

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"Whatever reason the damn hut was put there for," the white-haired one said gruffly, "That's where the stuff letting monsters in is. I figured you people MIGHT want to keep 'em from finishing off the rest of the defenseless humans in this city and all, but if you would rather **not**…"

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"No argument there," Honda said, "First things first, we need to get rid of the monsters. I'm not gonna be some overgrown bat's chew-toy again."

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"You said it," Jou agreed, although he was watching Yugi carefully as he spoke.

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"Well then, if there's nothing else to talk about, then let's go," Yugi said, his face currently composed and decidedly neutral.

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"…As a matter of fact, there IS one more thing that I ALMOST forgot to mention," Bakurah mentioned as the others started to walk past him and towards the street corner - that street being their planned route to the other side of town and Anzu's house.

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"What now?" Jou groaned, continuing to walk to the corner.

"_YYYYIIIII!_" the blond squealed next, as he sprang backwards and out of the way of several small, sparking projectiles.

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Those projectiles - like enormous needles the size of arrows - continued onwards to hit a car. Said car was soon sizzling, flashing white and blue with electricity as thousands of volts were pumped into it.

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"Nothing much, just the **small** matter of the way ahead being a **bit** of a lethal gauntlet and all," Bakurah finished, grinning his head off at the sight, "But hey! Don't let **me** stop you going on with your merry little quest!"

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"Shut up and get your ass over here," Yami snapped.

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Walking close enough to casually drape his arm across the shoulder of a slightly confused Ryou, the necromancer-demon saucily replied, "And it is **such** a very NICE ass, isn't it Pharaoh?"

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Ryou's face went a **very** dark shade of red, while the other mortals made startled choking sounds. Yami did his very best to block the words from his mind and counted to five as slowly as he could. If only they didn't need ALL the help they could get…

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"Worship it some other time, Tomb Pillager," Yami finally retorted, "We're going to be a little busy over here."

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Bakurah's frown did nothing to ease Yami's disgust with him. By the gods, he was vainer than a woman, that one!

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The lightning-filled needle-arrows were the work of Crawkers. Crawkers were amusing to look at - like an oversized and overstuffed toy shaped like a purple monkey - but they had wicked tempers and sharp claws to go with the needle-arrows.

And they were fast little devils - not a second after sticking his head around the corner to see how many they'd be dealing with, Yami was yanking it back hard enough to give a human whiplash.

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"Three in the road, two on the buildings on each side," Yami reported, rubbing his neck, "Any suggestions?"

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"I'll take the high road, Pharaoh," Bakurah said, jerking his head towards the fire escape of the building they were standing next to, "You can go the front way and the mortals can stand right here in the back and scream for us to be _careful._"

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Muffled sounds of annoyance came from Jou and Honda at Bakurah's sarcasm, but Yugi and Ryou looked honestly worried. They had a right to be, since Bakurah had basically just said that Yami was going to be bait and draw the Crawkers' attacks away from the others.

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Sure enough, the second Yami showed himself around the corner, four needles-arrows were flung his way. Instead of ducking back to safety, Yami sprang in the opposite direction. The Crawkers took great offense to this and Yami was soon breathing hard and VERY glad he'd always been nimbly athletic enough to keep his hide intact.

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Except that Crawkers were smart enough to work together. They fired needle-arrows from all sides, and with all avenues of escape temporarily blocked, Yami had to hastily raise a barrier to keep himself undamaged. The Crawkers hooted and lunged towards him the instant they saw his magic - Crawkers were _by design_ to be ravenous magic-sucking leeches. A pack such as this could drain a wizard dry in minutes, and the flesh of the exhausted spell-caster would make for a fine dessert afterwards.

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They scattered, though, when their pack of six became a pack of four. Old pieces of metal, if long and thin enough, made excellent throwing spears…and the fact that Bakurah enchanted all such weapons with his finest flesh-dissolving curses made them all the more deadly.

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The Crawkers moved around as fast as they could to avoid being targeted, which was pretty fast. One was actually heading towards Bakurah, on top of a three-story building no less, no doubt attracted by the white-haired fiend's aura of powerful black magic.

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The other three, though, used their evasive maneuvers as a distraction, until they had a clear shot at Yami. Then they stretched out their needle-adorned tails and fired! And Yami spotted the attack only in time to blindly duck under one, roll clumsily away from another, and nearly get skewered by the third. Not a hit but still too close, close enough to -

Yami bit his tongue and held back all but a single sharp cry of pain as electric agony raced through his body. Admirable enough in itself, since Yami had never actually been _electrocuted_ before…and now he could quite clearly say he didn't like the experience one bit.

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Already tasting their victory, the Crawkers wasted no time in springing for the downed mage-demon. So eager were they, they completely missed seeing how not only was Yami still conscious and aware, he was waiting for them to get into range.

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A quartet of snakes ripped the trio of Crawkers into bloody pieces swiftly enough. The one that had tried to attack Bakurah directly squealed like a stuck pig as the fiend went about sticking it like a stuck pig.

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"Well _that_ was pleasant enough," Yami muttered to himself as he scrambled to his feet, a little stiff and sore but otherwise fine.

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It took a little longer to reassure Yugi of that fact, though. The mortals looked relieved that it had gone off so easily, but Honda and Jou showed signs of frustration that they couldn't be more helpful.

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"Face it, mortals," Bakurah snapped at them as they continued warily down the street, "You're too **weak**. Must I spell it out for you?"

"I'll spell a fist in yer face one'a these days," Jou muttered in response.

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Before anything more could be said, an ominous hooting sound came from above them. The hoot of a Crawker, but how could that be if Yami had killed three and Bakurah had killed three - even as the fat purple creature sprang from hiding, lunging straight at Yugi and Ryou, Yami belatedly recalled counting seven.

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Before Bakurah or Yami could do a thing, but also before any harm could come to the mortals, a low snarl came from a nearby alley mouth as a black **thing** appeared. It intercepted the Crawker in midair and easily shredded him.

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It was a strange-looking thing, a sort of wolfish creature…all black vines and black thorns. And as soon as it killed the Crawker, it turned to face Yami and plopped itself down at his feet, as an obedient dog would treat its master.

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"CRAP!" Jou screamed, "I know dat thing! It tried ta eat us at da Plant Shop!"

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"Seems to like you, Pharaoh," Bakurah chuckled as the plant-beast sniffed around Yami's feet.

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Warily, Yami placed a hand on the beast's head and examined its magical signature. Then - to everyone's surprise, including his own - Yami let loose a bark of laughter.

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"I thought one of them looked different," Yami smirked, "This one was 'born' altered by my own magic."

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"How **cute**, he has a pet plant," Bakurah sneered, turning so that it looked like he was talking to Ryou and Honda exclusively, "To go with his pet human and pet mutt."

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Jou blinked and thought about this for a minute. Then he yelled "HEY! WHO YA CALLIN' A MUTT?" while everyone else sweat-dropped, except for Bakurah, who was laughing, and the black plant-monster, who was nosing Yami's and now also Yugi's feet.


	27. 27

**_(NOTE 3/8/06: Chapters have been restored to their original order! Assuming nothing ELSE goes wrong, here ya go!)_**

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Lemme know if I'm updating too fast for ya'll, k?

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Disclaimer: Chaos Chao does NOT own Yugioh

Claimer: Chaos Chao does SO own the plot and alllllll the little made-up evil monsters soon to be haunting your dreams...and let me know if you want to borrow some of them. I 'll be more than happy to give you their stats and stuff...

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"I guess we'd better give him a good name," Yugi said as they continued down the street, wary for hidden traps and monsters, though their group was one stronger now.

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"How about Spike?" Jou offered, "He looks all spiky ta me…"

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"…You might want to know that 'He' is actually a 'She'," Yami pointed out next.

"Dat's a _girl_ monsta?" Jou blinked.

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"…Well, then we can call her Rosa," Yugi said cheerfully, "Because roses are nice, but they have thorns too, you know."

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Bakurah, being forced to hear all of this since he was traveling in their group, stuck a finger in his mouth and made retching noises at all this fuss over the monster's name, which Yami made a point of ignoring.

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'Rosa', on the other hand, wagged her tail and gave the smaller spiky-headed member of their group a big lick on the cheek. Her tongue left a clear trail of ooze on Yugi's face.

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"Uh, that wouldn't happen to be some kind of poisonous acid or something, would it?" Honda asked nervously.

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"It only feels sticky to me," Yugi blinked, reaching up to touch the spot gingerly.

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Without really thinking about it, Yami carefully reached down and wiped the stuff off of Yugi's face with his hand. Ignoring the looks he was getting, Yami sniffed at the goo, before licking it right off his fingers.

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Spying it out of the corner of his eye, Yami distantly noted that Yugi had gone bright red in the face.

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As for the goo itself, it was harmless. Didn't taste too badly, either.

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"A combination of nectar and tree sap, as far as I can tell," the mage-demon concluded aloud.

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"Great," Jou grinned, "We'll neva need ta buy pancake syrup again!"

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"He'll save a fortune that way," someone whispered.

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Jou turned to glare immediately at Bakurah, who laughed in his face. Ryou, who was the only one willing to stand close to the fiend, protested that Bakurah hadn't actually said anything.

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"Then why'd he laugh?" Jou demanded.

"Because you're _pathetic_," Bakurah answered, his tone falsely sweet.

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Any further argument was postponed when Honda gave a yell from the front of their group. Accompanying the yell was the sound of something soft and wet going 'crunch' as it was stepped on.

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"Oh great, what NOW," Jou groaned, as the rest of the group turned their attention to this latest peril, "Somebody remind me **why** we gotta take dis stupid trap-filled road anyway?"

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"Well, I suppose this IS the sort of place they really wouldn't be _looking_ for us in, right?" Ryou ventured.

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"**Finally**, someone uses the sense the gods gave them," Bakurah huffed, "At least _one_ of you has a brain."

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Jou was too incensed by this latest stab at his intelligence to pay attention to anything else, including where he was walking. Very shortly afterwards, the blonde yelped as he stepped on something soft and wet that went 'crunch'…except that nothing was there when he lifted his shoe.

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"Let me guess, _more_ invisible monsters?" Honda asked, checking his own shoes in disbelief at finding nothing.

"Um…is the street getting murky, or is that just me?" the brunette added a second later.

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The way ahead - formally clear, obvious, and lit brightly by the midday sun - was indeed becoming dimmer. Yami swiftly checked behind them to find the way they had come was also becoming gray and misty and empty. It would take a lot of magic to physically alter the entire street, and even a cloaking spell to simulate a area of nothing would be detectable.

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"Ugh, I recognize that stench," Bakurah mentioned suddenly, blowing air out of his nose as if to clear away some unpleasant smell, "Hey Pharaoh, can you catch that? Smells sort of like wet mutt - stand away from this one so the scents don't confuse you too much…"

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"Why you -" Jou began.

"Maybe," Yami interrupted, "Though I don't recognize it."

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"Wouldn't _dare_ expect that much from a uncultured partbreed," Bakurah shot back, ignoring Yami's immediate snarl, "We're standing in a field of stone limpets. And the idiot duo set **two** of them off."

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Both Jou and Honda looked angry, but their hurt feelings were totally unimportant - okay, maybe they were only _slightly less_ important if Yugi looked that upset on their behalf - than their current predicament.

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"Want to know how they work?" Bakurah offered, sneering in glee at knowing something Yami didn't.

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Yami refused to dignify that with a response, even though without any information he'd never get anywhere and the white-haired fiend knew it. This standoff would never have ended any time in the reasonable future without some sort of intervention, and Ryou, the shy-yet-much-more-powerful-than-he-himself-realized mortal, was just the person to intervene.

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"I would like to know how stone limpets work, Bakura," Ryou offered.

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Bakurah eyed the mortal with narrowed, suspicious eyes, before giving a long-suffering sigh.

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"_Fine_…stone limpets are plants. They draw nourishment from stone, but its not always enough. So, when an unlucky creature happens into a field and steps on a stone limpet, that limpet releases its store of special spoors into the air. The creature in question inhales them, their powers go into effect, and they wander around in an illusory maze until they get sucked dry and die and decompose and all the other usual things happen. Pretty basic plant behavior, really."

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And speaking of plant behavior…Rosa the VineBeast was investigating something the others couldn't see, right where Honda and Jou had stepped on their stone limpets. Before their eyes, Rosa ripped into something that was both invisible and close to the ground, cracking its shell (apparently) with loud cracks and devouring the insides with plenty of happy slurping sounds.

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"And **that's** pretty basic plant behavior too," Bakurah chuckled.

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"All that aside," Yami said, gesturing to the street - in both directions, there was nothing but formless grayness, "These were place here for a specific reason, and I hardly doubt their normal illusions look like this. What does THAT tell you, Oh Wise and Enlightened Thief?"

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"**Clearly**, all victims are to stand here and wait quietly until they're finished off," Bakurah retorted sarcastically, "Stone limpets ARE intelligent enough to be controlled, fool."

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As if on cue, Rosa lifted her head from the remains of her stone limpet snack in alarm, before flattening her ears and growling sharply. Being a plant herself, she was the only one of them not being influenced by the stone limpets' spoors.

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Looking in the direction she was growling, everyone saw nothing, but they still readied themselves for battle as best they could. From behind him, Yami noted that Bakurah was staying in the back of the group instead of readying himself for a fight, just like the coward he was.

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Or was he preparing something? Bakurah made a strange gesture with his hands, and Yami sensed a sort of vaguely familiar magic being put to use.


	28. 28

**_(NOTE 3/8/06: Chapters have been restored to their original order! Assuming nothing ELSE goes wrong, here ya go!)_**

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Here's the next chapter. Happy Pyromaniac's Day!

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Disclaimer: See last chapter

Claimer: What did I just tell you?

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The monster assigned to take care of those who fell prey to the stone limpet spoors didn't even bother with being subtle. Even hallucinations of nothingness couldn't completely block all outside sounds.

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It sounded big. And it was moving slowly, but that was reasonable - its' 'prey' was supposed to be running around in little circles or frozen in fear, it didn't have to be particularly fast. This was almost an improvement, since the bigger and slower a monster was, the less likely it was to be particularly smart.

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Since they still had a moment, Yami closed his eyes and listened, trying to determine what exactly they were dealing with. Definitely big and bipedal, dragging a heavy tail…a sharp scent, just a little too sharp for the spoors to completely disguise, told Yami this beast also stank of sulfur.

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Rosa's snarls reached a new pitch of fury as the approaching beast paused to take notice of her.

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"Shouldn't we be backin' up?" Jou hissed, staring at the seemingly-empty air that the VineBeast was raging at.

"Probably," Honda hissed back, moving a step behind him.

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That sudden movement drew the monster's attention back their way and it instantly lunged forward with a deep, throaty growl. The humans scattered, Jou immediately running into a parked car - the bang this made was accompanied by a **very** loud profanity - and Yami snarled under his breath as a leathery tail soundly clipped him.

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Rosa, on the other hand, sprang at the monster with a roar and sank her teeth and claws into it. Judging from how she was dangling, she'd been aiming for the thing's neck but missed. It growled again, and Rosa lost her grip and went sailing into Jou's parked car with a yelp.

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"Oh no!" Yugi cried - he was on the other side of the street from her and Jou, near where Yami was now - but just as the boy was about to take a step towards them Yami yelled, "Don't move!"

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"What?" came the various mortal's voices, "Why?"

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"It can't tell where you are if you don't move," Yami told them.

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"You can see what it is, Yami?" Yugi asked next.

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"I don't need to see it," the mage-demon replied, "It's a fire-breathing Crocodilicus."

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"Just what we needed, a monsta croc!" Jou complained loudly.

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The Crocodilicus was making annoyed sounds, able to hear its prey but not being able to see it. Knowing for certain that it was there gave Yami's senses a bit of extra power against the influence of the stone limpet's spoors and he could almost see it now.

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"Won't it, um, try to roast us with fire if it breathes fire?" Honda inquired.

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The brunette sounded farther away from Yami then the other two mortals - and Yami had completely lost track of Ryou or Bakurah. Well, hopefully _Ryou_ was still all right.

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"No," Yami replied calmly, "They're really rather stupid. It can't see us if we don't move, and even though it can hear us, it can't count. Its getting agitated because it thinks there's only one of us here and it can't figure out how that one person is moving without it seeing them."

"…Man, that IS stupid," Jou blinked.

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"Hey back there! How's the stupid mutt liking this meeting his long-lost cousin?" Bakurah's voice sounded insolently from somewhere in the distance.

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Growling in frustration at hearing this new voice, the Crocodilicus stomped around, turning sharply from side-to-side in hopes of finding its elusive and aggravating meal-to-be. Unable to see it coming, Yami was knocked back to the ground by the Crocodilicus' enormous tail with a curse.

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'Why does this keep happening to _me_,' Yami mentally groaned as the monster's tail whipped back around to land squarely on top of him before he could move out of the way.

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It was blasted heavy and to make things worse, as if sensing it had managed to pin down its elusive prey, the Crocodilicus leaned back on the tail to ensure that Yami couldn't wiggle free, crushing him down against the pavement.

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"Hey, why don't ya try squishin' **me**, ya ugly overgrown handbag!" Jou taunted, jumping around to get the monster's attention.

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The fire-breathing Crocodilicus was stupid, but it wasn't a _complete_ idiot: it watched Jou carefully, waiting for the blonde to come close enough to be snapped up in its huge jaws, but it didn't release even a fraction of the pressure on Yami.

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"Yug'! Is Yam' doin' okay under there?" Jou called over next, detecting that his plan was failing miserably, "Tell 'em not ta worry - I'll think of somethin'!"

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Ignoring all of this, Yami dug his claws into the leathery pile holding him down as deeply as they could go. He'd already known that it wouldn't be enough pain for the Crocodilicus to move its tail - it would take an hour for the stupid beast to notice if he'd been able to cut its tail off completely - no, Yami was just feeling extremely frustrated and needed to take his feelings out on something.

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"Are you okay Yami?" Yugi called over.

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"What, me? I've never been better," Yami grumbled sarcastically.

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Taking a deep breath - not easily done underneath a ton of tail - Yami aimed his head down the way they had come and roared, "WILL YOU GET OVER HERE AND KILL THIS THING ALREADY GRAVE ROBBER!"

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"Hmph," came Bakurah's voice - he'd gotten closer without anyone seeing him, "You're so damn impatient, Pharaoh. You need to relax…

"Boy!" Bakurah snapped, back towards the way he himself had come from, "Are _They_ coming yet?"

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"…Yes…here _They_ come now," came Ryou's voice.

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The white-haired mortal did NOT sound happy about '_They_', and the realization of who '_They_' were was like a thunderbolt in Yami's brain. He should have **known** that Bakurah would go back to his old tricks…

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"All mortals and ingrates should keep their heads down," Bakurah announced, "…Muwahahaha….let the fun begin!"

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The fire-breathing Crocodilicus seemed to detect something was up, because it braced itself - lifting a bit of weight off its tail and allowing Yami the chance to squirm to freedom. He only made it a little ways before the Crocodilicus, sensing its prey was escaping, pressed down on its tail to crush him again. Even in the face of danger, the beast wasn't about to let go of its meal.

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Several somethings sprang out of the spoor-induced fogginess and jumped on the Crocodilicus. It roared, and snapped around with its jaws, and slashed around with its clawed hands, but it failed to hit a single attacker.

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Even as the monster started screaming in pain, it refused to lift its tail off Yami, making a possibly five-minute-long fight to the death into a paltry thirty-second death-struggle. As a last resort, the Crocodilicus bellowed and started belching flame everywhere, thus living up to its name in its last few seconds of not being dead.

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A foul stench filled the air as stone limpets left and right cracked in the heat and died. That smell easily broke through the spoors and the street returned to full visibility.

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Once the stupid beast finally stopped moving, Yami dragged his still-pinned legs out from under the limp tail and looked around. All over the road and even on some of the buildings, strange brownish jellyfish-like things were turning gray and giving off more foul-smelling smoke.

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Dominating the scene was the dead Crocodilicus, and standing next to its head was _exactly_ what Yami expected to find.

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Six skeletons, standing at attention and glowing with the influence of Bakurah's magic.

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"What the heck are THOSE things!" Honda yelled from a safe place behind everyone else.

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"Its just a bit of basic necromancy," Bakurah sneered, striding up to inspect his new servants, "What do you think, Pharaoh? Five thousand years and I've still got it!"

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"I SEE DEAD PEOPLE!" Jou and Honda screamed, hugging each other in mortal terror…until they noticed who they were embracing and shoved each other away with more screaming.


	29. 29

**_(NOTE 3/8/06: Chapters have been restored to their original order! Assuming nothing ELSE goes wrong, here ya go!)_**

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Okay, actually, during the re-editing mentioned above, the first copy of this chapter was accidentally deleted.

I apologize for the loss of my original saucy, witty banter. And as you may have noticed, I make it a point NEVER to reorganize the way I post my chapters unless I have no other choice. I feel its educational to be able to look back and go '_Gad-DAMN! What a lousy, crappy writer I used to be!'_

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What?

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Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh

Claimer: The stuff I invented for this fic is mine

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Still sore from being crushed by a giant tail, Yami was quite pleased to be able to snidely nudge Bakurah into using his new undead slaves as an advance force, marching ahead of the group and killing everything that would be there to endanger the mortals and themselves.

Speaking of the mortals, none of them seemed even remotely comfortable with Bakurah's new toys, even though this was a serious increase in protection for them. All of them deliberately spent extra time fussing over Rosa, who had been badly stunned and battered in her encounter with the parked car but was going to be all right.

As the group continued on, the four mortals stayed in a little cluster up at the front, with Rosa trailing just beside them. They were acting practically like a herd of gazelle, continuously glancing behind them at the trailing demons, and while Ryou's gaze was only a little nervous and Yugi's was only a bit more skittish, Jou and Honda were throwing real fisheyes Bakurah's way when they thought the necromancer-demon wasn't looking right at them.

Which meant that if Yami wanted any conversation to pass the time with, he was stuck with only Bakurah. The mortals were going even slower than before, too, so the uneasy boredom hung in the air like an approaching summer thunderstorm.

Bakurah hissed in annoyance as he caught the sixteenth wary glance headed his way.

"Pharaoh, you know those dolts better than I do," the fiend began, apparently too annoyed to care who he was trying to start a conversation with, "Is there a particular **reason** they're being stupider than ever now?"

"…I will assume you are not including Yugi as a 'dolt'," Yami replied, managing to keep his voice calm despite the implied insult.

Bakurah eyed him slyly from the corner of his eyes.

"By that, could you possibly mean that you believe the other three are **all** idiots?" Bakurah shot back, sounding almost amused.

"…Perhaps not Ryou," Yami suggested, trying to see how much leverage he could get, "Since you have such an _interest_ in him…"

Bakurah's eyes narrowed for a minute. Then, to Yami's amazement, he merely shrugged.

"Of course. He is interesting," the fiend openly admitted.

"Yes, Ryou is definitely the most interesting mortal here…especially more so than **your** current interest," Bakurah added a second later, laughter in his tone.

Yami only vaguely realized through his shock at the thief's casual admittance that he was also gaping like a fool in astonishment. And then, when Yami finally registered the second part of Bakurah's second sentence, the mage-demon was enraged enough to flash his fangs at the other in warning.

"Relax, he is no danger from **me** Pharaoh," Bakurah sneered, though his own fangs were bared as well, "He's got enough hungering after his life without **my** assistance. But that's not the point right now, either - tell me why the other mortals - the really **complete** idiots - are acting so strangely now!"

Yami took a moment to compose himself before answering. He'd figured this would happen the second he'd recognized Bakurah back in Yugi's house, and had been free long enough to know exactly what the problem was besides normal mortal squeamishness.

"For your information, they're feeling sickened and disturbed as well as being terrified of you only because of the _reinforcements_ you decided to bring along with us," Yami said, gesturing to the various corpses they were now walking past - another pack of Crawkers, bigger than the first group.

"Mortals are so picky about the treatment of their dead," Bakurah sighed, rolling his eyes in annoyance, "It's nothing permanent, and any damage is easily repaired…we're required to make pacts with the gods so the souls can still be judged, for Ra's sake! What is so disturbing about that?"

"You'll never believe this," Yami replied, "But in this part of the world, the dead are cremated almost immediately after death."

"You're right, I don't believe it," Bakurah agreed, "What the hell is 'cremating' supposed to be?"

"That means they burn the corpses to ashes, put the ashes in a little jar, and bury the jar under this tiny obelisk thing with the person's name on it," Yami explained, taking a long step away from Bakurah as he spoke.

A very wise move, that. The necromancer-demon froze in mid-step, a look of complete astonishment on his face. As soon as he determined Yami was telling the truth - the mage-demon not trying to hide that at all - Bakurah's nearly bugged out in purely sickened astonishment.

"They do **WHAT!**" Bakurah nearly roared - the mortals ahead of them stopped and turned to see what was happening.

"That's how they do it here," Yami told him, taking another step away as a precaution.

"They burn their dead…" Bakurah repeated with a shudder, "What the **HELL!** That's just **SICK!**"

Ryou had his mouth open, possibly hoping to avert whatever fight he saw brewing, but Bakurah cut off anyone else's words with a loud stream of curses and diatribes. And this was the best possible reaction Yami had predicted Bakurah would have upon hearing this piece of information.

"**BURNING _the bodies - and only the _PRETENSE _of a _PROPER_ grave - that is completely _UNNATURAL!**" Bakurah ranted, "**HOW_ do they expect to return if they don't _HAVE _a body? _HOW_ do they bloody expect to get to the _AFTERLIFE_ without even having at least the Book? And its just a bloody little obelisk thing that_ ONLY _has their _NAME_? If they even_ KEPT _their body it'd be too _EASY_ to kill their souls by breaking their names_ - WHAT THE FUCKING HELL IS WRONG WITH THIS CENTURY?**"

"Calm down!" Yami yelled, straining to be heard over Bakurah's raging, "I know what you mean but screaming about it won't help! This is just how things happen here!"

"So you don't **CARE** if your little friend there is doomed to wander as a lost spirit forever?" Bakurah shot back, gesturing at Yugi and still very completely outraged.

Yami didn't have an answer to that. Well, he actually DID, but it made him sound utterly contrite and he wasn't about to hand that kind of victory to the thief this easily. Practically jumping from anger, Bakurah's next move was to stalk right over to Ryou, all pretense of disguising his interest long since gone.

"**YOU!**" He snapped, jabbing a finger into Ryou's chest, "**YOU** are getting a _bloody proper funeral_ if it's the _last fucking thing_ I ever do, whether you _like it or not!_ I will **NOT** sit around and have your soul **MUTILATED** like a damned _sacrifice's!_"

Bakurah then proceeded to storm past the stunned mortals, heading up towards where his skeletons were clearing the road, gnashing his teeth and cursing the incredible disgusting stupidity of all mortals in general but of the local population of mortals in particular. Apparently he was going to find something his servants hadn't gotten to yet and kill it as slowly and brutally as possible. As for the rest of their group, Ryou had gone bright red in embarrassment. Jou and Honda were both pale, and Yugi was somewhere in between.

Where exactly, Yami couldn't be certain of. This was because he had suddenly determined that not meeting anyone's gaze was an _excellent_ method for dealing with his complete shock and embarrassment over the situation.

'I suppose that's one method to let someone know you like them,' the mage-demon told himself wryly.

Of course, when - _if!_ IF Yugi received similar information, Yami hastily corrected himself, and especially IF Yami was going to be the person delivering said information, the boy was most certainly going to get it in a much less mind-boggling way. Unless, of course, it was interest from someone else: when it came to Yugi, as far as Yami was concerned, the rest of the world could go hang.


	30. 30

Um...wow. Almost two whole weeks since the last update, eh?

Yeah, usually I try to be better than that...its a real funny story, honest!

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Disclaimer: The only things I own are what I invented

(PS: Thunderstorm101 - thanks! I just might be using that soon, too...)

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By the time the rest of their group caught up to Bakurah and his servants, the white-haired fiend had reached the end of the street. Thankfully, Bakurah also seemed to have calmed down, though he kept shooting the mortals thoroughly disgusted looks.

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"Our target **should** be just around this corner," the thief said, being mercifully matter-of-fact, "Of course, if anyone was **stupid** enough to actually **walk** around the side of this building, a conveniently misplaced net of traps and spells would make **quite** short work of them, so we're **not** going to try that way."

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"You can't bring them down?" Yami asked.

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"Two of _Them_ crumbled into dust when they hit the wards - so I damn well hope you two are fucking **happy** now," Bakurah snapped.

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Wisely, Honda and Jou mutely raised their hands in the universal gesture of surrender. Satisfied with their intimidated state, Bakurah ignored them and gestured to the office building they were standing next to. The main doors had been barred against intruders, but there had been several stores here before and their big windows were now little more than sidewalk smithereens.

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"There's a back entrance leading to the garage. Fortunately for us, its completely unguarded right now," Bakurah continued, leading the way inside and talking over his shoulder, "And since the sun has set -"

"How does he know dat?" Jou whispered.

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Whatever answer Honda had thought of was turned into a stifled gulp as the fiend glared right at them.

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"AS I was saying," the fiend continued icily, "Since the sun has set, it will be staying unguarded for several more hours."

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"…How can you be certain?" Ryou dared asked.

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Bakurah chuckled. It wasn't a nice chuckle.

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"You'll see."

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Moments later, Yami was cursing Bakurah's family back to his most distant ancestors. Of all the places to sneak through, _why_ had he chosen a gargoyle roost? The unimaginably **foul** odor left behind by the roost's residents made Yami reminiscent for the stench of dead mortal flesh! On the positive side - the extremely _barely_ at all _justifiable_ positive side - the fact that no one in their right mind would even consider going this way would ensure that this way was booby trap-free.

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But there was something distinctly unsettling about the notion that such fortified defenses as what were being used against them could be so _easily_ bypassed as long as the intruders were all pathetically crazed morons.

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Perhaps someone had decided to grant a slight measure of mercy to their suicidal little jaunt, because less than five minutes after entering the roost the group was back out again…although slightly a little more fragrant than before.

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Across the street, their target sat, managing to look quite innocent and unprotected. And strangely enough, the house really was nigh on unprotected - unless you counted one seriously overpowered demon overlord as enough of a defense.

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"So," Bakurah continued with a conversational air, "We're here. What's the plan?"

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A moment of silence hung over the group as the mortals tried to recall what sort of plan they had constructed for this moment. Bakurah's 'almost-friendly' glare shifted into one of his harsher versions within seconds - the 'we are not amused' version, if Yami had to name it.

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"You **numbskulls** want to take out someone as powerful as this and you didn't even bother to make a plan. _Please_ tell me that's not the case," the fiend said in a low, dangerously calm tone of voice.

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Yami was drawn away from his contemplation of the house across the street by the feeling of various pairs of eyes watching him. Despite how deep of a hole they had dug for themselves by trying to enter the enemy's stronghold without the slightest clue what to do when they got there, seeing humans so bewildered was as amusing as always.

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"The great and powerful Pharaoh didn't make a plan. Be still my beating heart," Bakurah smirked.

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'What heart?' were the first words to come to Yami's tongue, though he refrained from uttering them. After all, someone had to be the mature, sensible leader in this motley little gang of theirs. So instead, Yami calmly replied, "You're the one who usually plans this sort of thing, remember?"

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Bakurah grinned, flashing a set of very sharp and pointy teeth.

"Good to see that you haven't gone _completely_ senile yet."

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As the necromancer-demon began scheming and sketching out a battle plan, Yami turned to see Yugi watching him with a thoughtful expression. Contemplative and neutral, which was new.

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"Senile?" Yugi quietly wondered aloud.

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Irritated, Yami turned back to staring at the house across the street. On second thought, the mage-demon quietly stated to no one that "I'm only a month older than he is," and Yugi's amused chuckle was unbelievably gratifying.

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As a matter of fact, the second Yami knew for certain that Bakurah was going to be tagging along with them through the end of this adventure, he had decided to let the fiend plan the attack at this stage. And usually the fact that Yami could read Bakurah so easily made him feel smug and superior - knowledge of your enemies gave you equal power over them, after all - but this time it made him feel uncomfortable. As if he was ignoring something that required his utmost attention.

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It was probably more uncomfortable because that was the truth of the matter. Obsessing over Yugi when he could stay hidden and keep it his private secret was one thing, but _publicizing_ that same information…humans tended to grow positively vicious over these delicate matters, especially when things were mishandled.

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Bakurah, on the other hand, had always been as blunt as an axe, for all his incredible skills in sneak-thievery. Either he told you what was on his mind or he ripped out your tongue - or threatened to - for daring to so much as consider asking what he was thinking.

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'Not always,' something whispered from the depths of Yami's mind, 'Not with us.'

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Idly, the mage-demon watched his claws sprout to their full length and shrink again as he flexed his hand. Wasn't it a thief who had first said to open yourself to another is to point the spot for them to stick their knife into you?

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An innocent sold their soul to follow a cutthroat and burned for it. Best not to perpetrate that mistake. Guard Yugi from this threat, then leave and never look back. Even if the idea of leaving makes you feel dizzy and nauseous…

"Oi! Pharaoh!" Bakurah snapped, shaking Yami out of his thoughts, "We're set! Let's go!"

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"I can't wait to hear what half-mad plan you have this time, thief," Yami said conversationally as he moved over to join the others.

"Its brilliant, as _usual_," Bakurah sneered, "Those idiots only made the house impervious to the black arts - that's us - but against the opposite forms of magic, its more fragile than an eggshell."

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"And where are we going to find the opposite form, Bakurah?" Yami retorted, his decision of one minute ago inexplicably souring his mood.

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Bakurah rolled his eyes and shoved one of the mortals forward.

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"Remember our little White Wizard here, idiot?"


	31. 31

You want it, you got it! Here's the next chapter! And none too soon, I imagine...

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Okay, weird thing. I was just recently re-reading some of the original Yugioh manga (pre-Duelist Kingdom Season One stuff) when I noticed I sort of assigned some of the characters in this fic their Monster World Indentities! So Yugi is sort of like a Beast Tamer again (Rosa) and the White Wizard is...Ryou!

Ryou does make a very cute little figure too...but I digress.

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Here's the fic!

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Disclaimer: Yugioh not owned by me

Claimer: I own the stuff I invented...and the stuff other people let me borrow belong to them. Duh.

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"Err, I'm not really certain if this is such a good idea," Ryou mumbled as he was duly made to march in front of their group.

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"Ah, don't sweat it Ryou!" Jou cheerfully called out - from the back of the group - "We're all right behind ya!"

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Everyone else sweat-dropped at hearing _that_. Not at all reassured, Ryou came to a stop in front of the blue house's front door - a rather intimidating-looking, oversized gray thing - and looked over his shoulder, seeking guidance on what to do next.

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"Shouldn't I knock before going into someone else's house?" the white-haired boy asked.

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Bakurah looked increasingly unhappy with his choice of mortal. Growling, he snapped, "We're trying to **attack** them, not invite them over for a bloody **tea party!** Use your magic to smash the door down!"

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"…How do I do that?" Ryou blinked, before hastily swallowing at seeing Bakurah's expression and murmuring, "Ah, well, um, I think I'll just figure it out on my own…"

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"Maybe there's something in your bag that'll help, Ryou," Yugi suggested.

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"Oh!" blinked the teenager, "I forgot - there is! I was worried when it seemed like the city was going to be invaded, so I decided to prepare something to defend myself with…"

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Ryou rummaged in his backpack before making a little 'ah hah!' sound and pulling out his weapon. And the rest of the group stared at it in utter disbelief - even Rosa and Bakurah's four remaining skeletons stared, because that's how unexpected Ryou's choice of weapon was.

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It was a flyswatter.

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"Ryou? Ya _sure_ dat's what ya brought ta defend yerself with?" Jou finally managed to ask.

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"Oh yes," Ryou nodded enthusiastically, "Although I don't normally use flyswatters - I do think flies deserve just as much of a chance at life as all other creatures -"

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Gagging noises erupted from Bakurah, but the fiend contained them before anyone besides Yami realized where they were coming from. Undaunted, Ryou continued, "But the book I found said it had to be something used to 'deliver death to the living', and…"

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Ryou trailed off, apparently embarrassed, and turned back towards the door. With a quite mutter of "Here goes nothing", the mortal raised the flyswatter over his head in a two-handed grip, before bringing it down against the door as hard as he could.

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The smack of plastic against wood was nearly instantly drowned out by the sound of a small explosion and wood splintering as the door was blown inwards and into little pieces. As the dust settled, Ryou stared at his flyswatter with astonishment before saying, "Oh dear…I think I might have made it a little too powerful."

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"Oh _no_," Bakurah was quick to reassure him - shooting Yami a smug glance in the process, "You're _fine_. That was _fine_."

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"That was freakin' _awesome_ is what it was!" Honda and Jou immediately crowed.

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With that over with, their group moved inside the house - into the heart of enemy territory. Right away Yami noticed that things had changed since his last visit.

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"Hey, dis wasn't like dis last time," Jou pointed out, "Remember, Yug'?"

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"There should be a staircase right there," Yugi agreed, pointing to various locations, "And the living room should be just there, and that should be the way to the kitchen."

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Instead of any of these things being present, there was only a corridor, leading deeper into the house than the house actually went. It was wide, and tall, so that their group could go quite comfortably. An obvious difference from the outside of the house was that the whole corridor - walls, ceiling, and floor - were all made of well-fitted stone.

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And it was dark, very dark. Certainly, there were sconces for torches, but the flames were all composed of the pale-blue substance known commonly as witchboil, which didn't produce too much light.

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It was widely preferred over regular fire by those beings that had extremely good night vision or were vulnerable to flames or sunlight, such as gasts, vampires, and of course demons.

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"Anybody got a flashlight?" Jou wondered.

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"There's plenty of light," Bakurah huffed, "Come on! They'll have noticed our entry by **now**."

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True enough - the doorway hadn't even gotten all the way out of sight before Yami picked up on the various scratching, oozing, and breathing noises that indicated they were being watched and followed.

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On and on went the corridor, and the witchboil sconces started being farther and farther apart, reducing visibility to near zero.

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"Just making sure…we didn't step on any more of those limpets, did we?" one of the mortals - Honda maybe - ventured to ask as the light got worse.

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Finally, they reached a point where there were no sconces whatsoever past the last one, where they stopped to discuss their ever-decreasing options.

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"We'll be in complete darkness after this point," Bakurah mentioned, "You know what? This is starting to look almost like a _trap_, Pharaoh."  
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"Or an ambush, I agree," Yami replied, "They've gone to so much trouble…we might as well let them spring it."

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"Are you **nuts!**" Jou hissed from wherever he was standing, "What if they catch us!"

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"Don't let them catch you then," the necromancer-demon purred.

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Reluctantly, they walked forward, out of the last pale patch of witchboil-light and into pitch darkness. Yami listened for the sounds of the watchers, but they had stopped at the last sconce. This WAS a trap, then, but not exactly an ambush yet. Someone was probably about to show up and threaten them.

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Sure enough, they were all blinded for a few seconds as, in a flash of light, a floating head appeared in the air in front of them. It was of the creature that the girl worked with, or maybe for - human-like appearance, long black hair, blue eyes. The projection gave off no extra light, keeping everything else disguised in darkness, including their group, but as a precaution Yami subtly moved himself to block Yugi from the thing's line of vision.

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"There's more of you than I expected," the floating head began without preamble, "Good; my servants get bored quite easily. If, by any chance, you make it through the next levels of my lair alive and discover a wish to join me, by all means I will gladly welcome new faces."

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The head smirked. It wasn't a nice expression.

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"All you have to say is, '_Lord Hauru, I swear to serve you, and only you, with all my body and all my soul, for the remainder of my existence_', and you will be painlessly set free - to do my bidding, of course. Otherwise the way to me will be quite…painful."

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"Go suck on a pig's hooves!" Bakurah yelled, unable to resist breaking the momentary silence that followed Hauru's statement.

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Whatever method Hauru was using to appear before them, he could apparently hear their responses perfectly well, because he sighed and rolled his eyes at Bakurah's childish response, his whole manner completely unsurprised and sarcastic.

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"Such poor manners…I will let my servants have their fun, then - its been **quite** long and they're **so** hungry, after all…" Hauru sneered.

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The projection vanished, and in less than a split-second later the pitch-black corridor erupted in violent snarls and screams as the watchers from before surged forward to those they would now prey upon. This wasn't nearly as bad as the fact that the floor underneath Yami and the others' feet had just decided to vanish completely.

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Somewhere in the middle of this sudden plunge, Yami was the first to discover, the pitch-darkness of no-light exchanged itself for the black oblivion of unconsciousness.


	32. 32

Yeah, this update is up a lot faster than I thought I was going to write it...

Has this ever happened to anyone else? You sit down, only planning to edit your work and maybe add a _little_ bit more to it...but then that little bit gets bigger and bigger until you realize you're staring at three new chapters?

...Summer is the season of bugs, I guess. Writing bugs!

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Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh (what a surprise)

Claimer: I own all the stuff I invented. (That would be the Dammug Beasts, stone limpets, Crawkers, shape-shifters, Kori-whatever-the-heck-this-was-from-umpteen-chapters-ago, etc, etc...)

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It was the smell that woke him.

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Not a particularly pleasant odor, either. Granted, it was a better smell than the one in the gargoyle roost, but that meant less than nothing as **NO** stench could be more foul than that.

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This latest stench of this oddly odiferous adventure wasn't something he recognized right away, either. Idly, Yami let himself dangle just below true consciousness as he tried to determine what the smell was - the pain already surfacing in the back of his head an indicator that it might be better to just forget about the whole thing and go back to sleep.

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The smell was like a mixture of crude oil and something else, something bitter that settled on the tongue uncomfortably and made his lungs itch. Yami still didn't know what it was exactly, but he had a vague idea now.

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It was probably toxic…hmm. Shouldn't he get up? Of course, this stuff might not be fatal for demons such as he was, but if he had been a human, by now he would have been -

Just to his side, something broke into harsh choking coughs. Like they were trying to expel their own lungs or something.

- would have been doing that, finished Yami's thought.

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Wait…

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It hurt just as much as Yami had anticipated it to, when he shoved his back off the ground and his mind into full consciousness. Honestly, the way he was being tossed around lately…completely embarrassing.

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Whatever gas that was making the smell was heavier than the surrounding air, and things cleared up only two feet or so off the ground. The gas - or smoke, even? - was an eerie-looking thick, blood-red haze that Yami still didn't recognize, even though he was staring right at it. This new room, for its part, would have been completely lightless if not for the haze, which actually gave off an odd pale glow.

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Something more important, though, made him start instantly - the source of the coughs.

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Specifically, Yugi. And Yugi was sitting not two feet away.

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It was easy to tell what happened: They'd both fallen into this poisoned room - thankfully, no one else had - then Yugi had come to first if he'd been knocked out at all, and though the boy had probably gotten to the clear air as fast as possible, Yami had a guilty suspicion that Yugi had spotted him, bent down to see if he was alright…but now Yugi was coughing so hard he hadn't even registered the mage-demon's awakening.

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Yami didn't even bother with the usual pleasantries (worried inquires of if the person was alright - a stupid human invention, of course, when the person was plainly _hacking his lungs out_), just scrambled to his feet and hoisted Yugi to his own. A few deep breaths of the clear air did the trick.

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"Well, that was unpleasant," Yugi mumbled, rubbing his sore throat.

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"Are you alright?" Yami asked him - hey, he could use human pleasantries if he really **wanted** to.

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Yugi blinked, apparently registering who his rescuer was, and exclaimed, "I should be asking you that! You weren't moving and I was really worried - I thought this stuff just didn't affect me as badly or something!"

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"Other way around, it would seem," Yami mused, taking a look around the room.

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The way the floor suddenly pitched reminded Yami of the slight head injury he was ignoring - the blinding pain not being enough of a indicator anymore. Yugi picked up on his wincing right away and fairly demanded to know what injury Yami was 'keeping hidden this time!' As if Yami deliberately lied about being injured at all! He just…didn't volunteer such information.

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In the spirit of that, instead of telling Yugi a thing, Yami reached towards the back of his head, found where his head had collided with the solid granite floor, which must have been magically hardened to be far more tougher than diamond - the only explanation he could think of for how he'd gotten such an injury at all - and fixed it with an excruciating burst of magic.

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This didn't placate Yugi one bit.

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"Just because you can fix yourself like that is no reason to keep acting so macho whenever you get injured," the boy berated him.

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"Normally I don't _receive_ such a constant string of injuries," Yami retorted, letting some of his irritation work its way into his tone, "Nor am I so frail that you must fuss over me like some sort of helpless creature!"

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"You…_you completely unbelievable_ **IDIOT!**" Yugi snapped.

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This went on Yami's fingerbreadth-long list of the times he'd ever been shocked speechless. **Especially** coming from Yugi - but the boy softened the insult with his next words.

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"You're one of my closest friends, Yami - that means I'm allowed to be worried about you! I get to worry about you because believe it or not I care about you! And you may think you're strong enough on your own, but it doesn't matter because friends help each other out all the time no matter which of them is stronger or weaker or whichever!"

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Yugi paused for breath, face reddened from unaccustomed yelling. For his part, Yami had zero clue what to say in response to this, and waited in the vague hope that Yugi would say something else, something he could angrily retort to. No matter how desirable this attachment might be, it wasn't safe for him to be so distracted and it was even more unsafe for the fragile mortal to keep such dangerous company as Yami was.

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"Besides, like it or not this whole mess is about me," Yugi continued, his voice back under control, "If you and - and everyone else is going to get in trouble to keep me around…I might as well not be…"

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'A helpless piece of deadweight?' a snide voice in the back of Yami's mind sneered, completing the boy's sentence. There was a sense of smug superiority with that voice as well: compared to himself, Yugi basically _was_ a helpless piece of deadweight.

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Yami slapped those feelings and thoughts away immediately. As long as he was around, no one was going to hurt Yugi, not even by so much as thinking something so cruel of the boy - not even Yami himself. But this wasn't a good time to mention that - was there ever such a time? - so instead of a direct reply Yami merely reached out a hand and tentatively rested it on Yugi's shoulder.

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He neither shook the hand off or reacted to its presence, something Yami chose to view as a good sign.

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"…We should look for a way out of this place," Yami suggested.

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"…Yeah. Okay."


	33. 33

Yet more of my story to go up on this here site...yep, I'm turning out to be a spewing fountain of creativity all of a sudden...

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Yes, I know. Bad mental image for me too folks!

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Disclaimer: Yugioh not owned by me

Claimer: Stuff I invented is mine

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"You know what? The more I think about this, the more I don't get it. And now I'm _really_ confused," Yugi mentioned, trailing in Yami's wake as the mage-demon stepped gingerly around in the poisoned room, looking for some sort of exit while hopefully avoiding any nasty surprises.

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"Confused by what?" Yami asked, feeling curious - not to mention that having something to pass the time would be nice, as this room was far longer and wider than it really ought to be.

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"The inside of the house was different than the last time any of us came here," Yugi said, "And the way the corridor looked, and this room too…I keep telling myself that 'its magic' and that makes sense, but it doesn't really seem to explain things to me very well…"

"Just that?"

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Yugi blinked, thought a moment, then added, "Well, I wasn't going to bring it up before, but all the times I've seen you or Bakura do that healing magic stuff, it looked like it almost made things worse instead of better."

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"Oh, that," Yami said, smiling a little at the question. Every apprentice and acolyte asked that one in some form, usually on the first day…

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"Well, in the short form, there are several major varieties of magic, not just one big kind. The reason my magic hurts badly when it heals is because it's the wrong type to use for healing. That's primarily a 'Light' form of magic."

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"…Then that means…oh! Ryou's got that, right? So if Ryou wanted to, could he heal people?" Yugi wondered.

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"Easily, once he learns how…hold on," Yami paused as he changed the subject, holding out an arm to keep Yugi from stepping in front of him, "The poison is a little higher in this part of the room."

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"I can see that," Yugi said nervously, inching back and away from the elevated section of the glowing red haze, "What is this stuff, anyway?"

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"Wait here and I'll see if I can find out," Yami said, taking a quick couple of steps forward.

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Behind him, Yami heard Yugi quietly exclaim "_What?_ I thought he **knew** this stuff!" and laughed quietly to himself.

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As it turned out, the haze only got a little bit higher, not high enough to pose Yugi a problem unless he sat on the ground. What was odd was how the glow was brighter in one patch, looking like a bright line in the dark room.

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"I think I can hear water over here," Yugi said, once Yami waved him over.

"Okay, maybe it wasn't _exactly_ water," Yugi added in disgust when they followed the sound to its source.

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Against one wall of the room on this far side was a strange sort-of fountain, shaped like a large cauldron mounted on top of a fat cube base. Over the sides of the 'cauldron' part of the fountain were pouring streams of weird, blood-colored water. The way it stank, even to Yugi's nose, as well as the fact that it was steaming, letting off more hazy glowing gas every second, proved it wasn't truly blood at all.

After pouring out of the fountain, the glowing red water collected in a shallow trough which circled the base, before extending away into the depths of the room as the brightly-lit band Yami had seen earlier.

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"Someone needs to hire a better interior decorator," Yugi said, trying to lighten the oppressive mood the red water fountain was giving the room.

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It wasn't a great joke, but Yami forced a chuckle anyway. Then the sound of something bumping and rattling its way down a shaft drew their attention to the fountain - just as something fell out of a hole in the ceiling and landed in the fountain with a splash.

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"Oh no!" Yugi exclaimed, "That looked like a person!"

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"Oh no you don't," Yami snapped, grabbing Yugi as the boy impulsively tried to rush over and check, "That thing is covered in poisonous vapors - you'll choke to death in minutes."

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"So what? You could fix me," Yugi grumbled.

"No I couldn't," Yami retorted.

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"Huh? Why not?" the mortal blinked.

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"Dark healing magic can only be used on beings who are also dark in nature or have dark magic," Yami explained, "The consequences of doing otherwise are…unpleasant. And **you**, Yugi, are **not** dark."

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"…Oh. Okay," Yugi conceded, "Just be careful, then."

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'…When did I agree to check on this?' Yami wondered as he made his way towards the fountain for a closer look.

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Just finding a perch to look inside without touching the water was hard enough - Yami still had no idea what the stuff was, but didn't feel like taking his chances on physical contact with it - but the view inside was unpleasant enough that the mage-demon was quite glad Yugi couldn't get close enough to see.

"Well?" Yugi asked from where he stood, "Was I right? Is it a person?"

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"Uh…" Yami hesitated, then went with the blunt truth.

"…It's half of a person - the top half, from what I can see."

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"Who is it? Is it one of the others?"

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Yugi sounded extremely worried…thankfully, Yami could easily put the boy's fears to rest right off the bat.

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"No, it's an older man…middle-aged, with an ugly yellow mustache…he was quite obese as well, I think."

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"Gross," Yugi said, "Do you at least know what this stuff is now?"

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Slowly and carefully, Yami reached into to poke at the corpse. The thing bobbed in the red water, revealing how frighteningly quickly and evenly the body was dissolving.

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"Its most likely some sort of poisonous acid," Yami finally declared, "Looks to be extremely potent…whatever you do, don't touch it."

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"No problems there - hey, what's making that sound?" Yugi blinked.

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'That sound' was the rattling noise coming from the overhead shaft as something fell down through towards the fountain. Belatedly recalling how big a splash the last corpse had made, Yami sprang away from the fountain seconds before something - the bottom half of a human this time - landed inside it, splattering drops of the red water/acid all around.

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Yami moved to shield his face with his arms on instinct, only to feel some of the drops land on his arm. Feeling with horrible clarity exactly how the acid was starting to delve greedily into the flesh of his wrist, Yami blasted the liquid droplets instantaneously into gas with a flash of magic, distantly hearing himself give an undignified yowl of pain without caring.

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Even though it had been cleansed in such a timely fashion, the acid-burnt wrist ached awfully. The marks the acid had left looked like they would scar, even against magic - this was incredibly dangerous stuff here.

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At least Yugi was both sensible to understand that Yami was in no mood for annoying pleasantries (was he all right? Oh, sure, fine, except for the fact that his **ARM** felt like it was on **FIRE**) as well as fortunate enough to have a bit of something to wrap around the throbbing wound.

They moved well away from the fountain after that.


	34. 34

I meant to post this sooner, I swear I did, but then...well, basically then I didn't.

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Ugh, sorry to sound so bland. I'm recovering from the whiplash I got on the Mind Eraser at Six Flags yesterday. Yes, while many people spent yesterday back in school, I was hurting myself at Six Flags! Go me!

(Authoress hides under rock to avoid angry people who didn't get to go)

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Disclaimer: Yugioh not owned here

Claimer: Stuff I invented is mine, stuff other people invented but let me borrow is theirs

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Working with the off chance that they could get out of the poisoned room somehow at whatever place the red water was going towards, Yami and Yugi followed the trough as it headed out into the depths of the room.

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This room seemed to have been constructed by someone with a very nasty sense of humor, because the trough wound back and forth around the endless room without really going anywhere for quite a ways.

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To pass the time, Yugi would keep asking if Yami's arm was all right, to which the mage-demon would retort that it was perfectly fine and would you **please** stop asking. The fact that this did nothing to deter Yugi's questions should have irritated Yami, but it didn't…not as much as it should have, anyway.

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After seemingly hours, whoever was toying with them decided to finally give them a break, because they reached the end of the trough. Here, the red water poured out, flowing down into an open hole in the floor. There was a wide ladder leading upwards here as well - conveniently placed so that if you were unlucky enough to fall off, you had a fifty-percent chance of falling into the hole where the red water was going.

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"…So who goes first?" Yugi wondered, "This ladder's wide enough for three people to use at once, from the looks of it."

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Of the three evil possibilities that presented themselves in this situation - Yugi going first into whatever new danger waited for them, Yami going first and being unable to catch Yugi if he fell off and into the red water, and the two of them going at the same time - the latter seemed the less evil version. Yami went a little ahead of Yugi, but just to make certain non of the rungs were booby-trapped or too weak to use.

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"Why does someone have this sort of thing anyway?" Yugi wondered as they climbed upwards, "That acid, this room…"

"I honestly couldn't say," Yami replied offhand, trying to keep his attention on the task at hand and not on how his not-healed arm was starting to bleed a little.

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At last, the ladder reached the roof of the room. Here, there was a heavy stone cover, which Yami had little difficulty pushing up and out of the way. Once again, Yami's paranoia of not letting Yugi go first paid off again, because the first thing Yami spotted in the room above was a huge, three-tailed, spiked creature of some kind heading their way at full speed.

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From behind the creature, someone yelled something, and a wall of fire roared towards the creature and engulfed it…continuing onwards towards the hole Yami's head was sticking out of.

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Half-roasted monster and searing heat were more than enough to make Yami lose his grip. Only by managing to catch hold of a lower rung at the last second did Yami prevent himself from plunging back into the depths of the poisoned room…and left him cursing when the hand and arm he was using to save himself throbbed twice as hard and started to bleed freely thanks to the additional strain pressure.

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The next thing Yami heard just made the rest of his misery seem pleasant in comparison.

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"Yeah, take _dat_, ya overgrown iguana! …Hey, what's dis hole doing here?"

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"Jou!" Yugi called, moving higher up the ladder and making the puzzled blonde who appeared at the top very pleased with himself.

"Yug'!" Jou cried, "Man, am I glad ta see you! I thought fer a second dere I was stuck all on my own!"

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Jou helped Yugi up and out of the hole as he asked, "So, have you seen anybody else in dis crazy place, Yug'?"

"Yes," Yugi said, "Yami's been with me this whole time…are you okay?" the short mortal added, peering back down the hole.

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"Never **better**," Yami said loudly and sarcastically, grabbing hold of the ladder with his other hand and scrambling to the top and out before anything else happened, "Being engulfed in fire is my **hobby!**"

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"Oops," Jou swallowed, "Sorry 'bout dat, Yam'…honest, I only didn't see ya because you were so close ta the ground, I swear!"

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Jou being a head taller than Yami, this comment only made Yami's death-glare twice as fierce and angry. Yugi ignored all of this to reach over and readjust the makeshift bandage on Yami's arm, which was red with blood now.

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"I hope this manages to heal all right on its own," the boy sighed, "So, Jou, what happened to you when the monsters attacked?"

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"Oh, well, when we got sucked around by dat crazy hallway," the blonde said, "I landed in dis place dat looked almost da same, except dat it was full of those nasty spiky monstas! And they wanted ta eat me, so I ran as fast as I could…but one of them ran into this wall, and inside was a little secret room, and inside that room I found this _awesome_ weapon!"

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Remembering the weapon, Jou picked it up from where he had set it on the ground. It was a huge orange broadsword, extremely warm to the touch, and engraved into the blade was the symbol for fire magic.

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"So, when I swung it da first time, flames came out, and it was so **cool!**" Jou continued, "Those nasty monstas tried ta chase me again, and I sent 'em running away with all three of their tails between their legs!"

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"That's really awesome, Jou!" Yugi exclaimed, "You have a magic sword!"

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"I guess I got magic powers, then!" Jou laughed.

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"Hardly," Yami said, not even looking up from inspecting Jou's weapon, "This flameblade might have been forged by a fire mage, but it doesn't take the slightest magical power to use it."

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"Oh." Jou looked a little depressed, then shrugged and laughed, "Its still plenty awesome at kicking monsta ass, though!"

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"Where do we go now?" Yugi asked next, "We need to find this Hauru guy, and stop him before he destroys the whole city!"

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"Well, when I was running from da monstas before," Jou mentioned as he hefted the flameblade, "I noticed something weird. Dere are lots of staircases, but the higher up da staircase ya go, da more monstas dere are. I didn't try going up because I didn't feel like being eaten, and dere's lots of monstas on this floor anyway…"

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"I see," Yami said, "I think I've got it now. This place must have several levels. We entered on the first level, then Yugi and myself fell into the basement…this must be the second level."

"I did feel like I was being yanked upwards," Jou nodded, "So, what now? What's in da basement?"

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"Poisoned acid. Don't ask," Yugi sighed, "We need to go up, right?"

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"Yes. Hauru will be on the top level, and once we take care of him this senseless violence will finally end," Yami said, pushing every iota of confidence that he could muster into his voice.

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This would be the most dangerous part of their adventure yet…someone would probably die…but like it or not, there was nothing else they'd rather try to accomplish.


	35. 35

Evil...school...so...tired...must...destroy...college...

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...But, on the OTHER hand, I'm sleepy...time for a nap...

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ZZZZzzzzz...

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Disclaimer: Authoress only owns what she invented, and guess what - Yugioh's not one of those things!

And if this is news to you, that's sweet, but I still pity you.

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The nearest staircase (that Jou remembered the location of) was blocked from sight behind several of the large, three-tailed monsters Jou had said were all over this level. When they caught the scent of living human flesh, they waved their tails and clicked their beaked jaws, eager to feed despite the aura of demon and fire they could also easily detect.

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"Let me take care of these spiky jerks," Jou said, taking a big step towards the stairs and raising his flameblade over his head.

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Seeing one of their potential prey move away from the rest, and especially move closer to them, the beasts couldn't control their raging appetites and charged forward.

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"Eat fire, ya stupid monstas!" Jou yelled, swinging the flameblade at them.

As Jou moved, the orange blade began burning with brightly colored flames, and those flames coalesced into a snake-like dragon's head. The fiery snake-dragon-thing surged out of the flameblade, engulfing the now screaming monsters in a wall of incinerating fire.

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When Jou was finished, there was nothing left but a completely clear stairwell and smoking ashes that used to be bloodthirsty monsters.

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"I'm **NEVA** gonna get tired of dat!" Jou laughed.

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And so up the smoldering stairs they went. Unfortunately, just like the trench of red water in the poisoned basement, the stairs leading upwards failed to follow any sort of discernable pattern whatsoever.

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Sometimes the stairs would be straight and steep, then they would level out until they were practically flat, bending this way and that as they ascended, then the stairs would curl upwards in maddeningly tight spirals, sometimes going clockwise and sometimes going counterclockwise. And there were landings that lead nowhere. They were placed all at random, and were usually filled with more of the three-tailed beasts they had already encountered.

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"Ah…man…what did…I do…ta deserve _dis?_" Jou wheezed when they finally reached a landing that wasn't filled with monsters.

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It was, however, the furthest up that one could go on this particular staircase. Yami dispatched the lone three-tailed monster that had been prowling in the hallway just outside the archway by himself - not difficult - and kept an eye out for any other predators while the other two mortals got their breathing back under control.

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"Can I just ask one thing?" Yugi piped up, "Why doesn't this crazy place obey the laws of physics?" 

"It's magic," Yami said without looking over his shoulder, "It has its own laws, and this is actually not that complex a building."

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"Da second floor connects ta da seventy-fifth! Dat seems pretty complex ta me," Jou said as he worked the kinks out of his arms.

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Yami peered over his shoulder at the two mortals, blinking. Yugi must have learned to read his expressions fairly well, because the boy sighed and said "This is the third floor, isn't it."

"All dat runnin' an' fightin' an' ya mean ta say dat we only got _one_ floor higher up!" Jou exclaimed.

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"At least we went up and not down," Yugi said, sighing again.

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"Guys, I'm really startin' ta dislike dis hard-core magic stuff," Jou pouted, "What do we do now?"

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"Keep going, find another staircase going up, find the others, and beat the guy whose fortress we're inside of?" Yugi offered as the three of them (cautiously) headed out into the corridors of the third floor.

"Good plan," Jou said, smirking with renewed optimism, "And hey - s'not like it can get any worse!"

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As soon as Jou finished speaking, a stone slab slid out of the ceiling right by the stairway arch, slipping into place with a ground-shaking **THUD** and completely cutting Yami, Yugi, and Jou off from the way back downstairs. Unfortunately, there were no witchboil sconces in this part of Hauru's fortress. Yami could see almost nothing, and the mortals were far worse off.

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"…Thank you, Jonouchi," Yami sighed, "Thank you EVER so much."

"Ah, c'mon! S'probably just a coincidence!" Jou protested, "I _still_ say dere's no proof dat saying dat causes bad luck!"

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"We aren't going to get anywhere if we stand in the dark and bicker," Yugi pointed out, sounding irritated, "Does anyone have a flashlight or anything on them?"

"…If we had a torch, I could set it on fire with my sword," Jou offered.

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Thankfully, Yami had actually been in this sort of situation once before and knew just what to do. Jou was confused when Yami instructed him to hold out his flameblade, but managed to follow Yami's unusual-sounding instructions until the gleaming orange metal began shining brightly, lit from within by the glow of its internal flames.

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While Yugi and Jou marveled over this new trick, Yami was thinking very hard very fast. Certainly the flameblade Jou had managed to acquire had _looked_ like Yen's favored weapon, but this proved it…and raised more concerns for the mage-demon. Yen had been a loyal servant, and upon his death his treasured weapon had been interred in a secret vault of the royal line - so this meant that Hauru had raided the vault and brought the spoils back to his fortress.

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**Excellent!**

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There were a few other things that had been hidden away with Yen's sword, just a couple little golden trinkets Yami had been keeping an eye on…the Hellpit had interrupted things but now…Yami paused in his thoughts to shake his head in personal disgust.

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'Honestly, I sound like that tomb-pillager!' Yami scolded himself, but still resolved to keep an eye out for anything that might have been his.

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"Okay, one extra-dangerous trip through a dark an' spooky castle 'o doom comin' right up!" Jou declared, marching forward, flameblade held aloft like a torch.

"Wait, Jou, you don't even know where you're going!" Yugi exclaimed, heading off after his friend.

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Smirking slightly to himself, although he was uncertain as to why he was feeling amused, Yami brought up their rear.


	36. 36

To everyone affected by Katrina, from the Chaos Chao family: We feel for you, guys, and we'll do our part to help.

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That moment of levity past us... hey quick, **_DUCK!_**

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I can only wonder how many did that...sigh... 

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Disclaimer: See last chapter, you sillys

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The rest of this level was just like the first part, once the lights in the stairs were cut off: dark. It was also deserted of monsters, traps, or any other threats, aside from the lack of light, which seemed curiously suspicious.

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This also meant that Yami had more time to worry about outside concerns now, such as wondering where Ryou, Honda, Rosa the Vinebeast, or that cowardly thief Bakurah had gotten to, and how powerful Hauru was likely to be in combat (a battle seemed to be the only way they were going to finish things, at least by this point), and whether or not his hand was going to be able to heal naturally after all these years of using magic…

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Yami shook his head slightly. Worrying like this was pointless.

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…Although, IF Hauru had been capable of breaking up the vault, even if it had only happened yesterday, this meant that Hauru was a powerful demon indeed, and that there was very little chance to defeat him…

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Further musings on the subject were interrupted when Yami 'heard' a faint, oddly familiar almost-sound in the back of his mind. While he had been thinking, the three of them had reached a part of the corridor where it split into two separate paths. Jou and Yugi began walking down the one side, but Yami hesitated, staring down the other way.

"Hmm? Yami? Is there something the matter?" Yugi asked, noticing Yami's distraction immediately and stopping himself.

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"Huh? What, Yam', why'd ya stop walkin'?" Jou asked, noticing the reason for his best friend's turning back a minute after the fact.

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"…There's…something…" Yami hesitated, uncertain, then nodded to himself before striding down the second corridor, leaving the others to follow behind, their questions ignored.

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The further he walked, the better Yami could 'hear' what he was looking for…something he would have never been listening for at all if he hadn't been alerted to the possibility of its existence by Yen's sword. The corridor itself was short, only twisting around once (in what would have been a complete circle that lead nowhere if it wasn't a magic building) before reaching what had once been an imposing stone door covered in protection spells carved into it.

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It was not imposing now. In fact, the only thing left of the door were the scattered rocks and chunks of stone all over the floor, all that was left of the material that had once composed it.

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"Whoa…what happened?" Jou whistled, nudging some of the rocks with his feet.

"…Just as I suspected," Yami sighed, indicating the mark that had recently been carved into the wall of the corridor right beside the doorway, "It appears that Bakurah, at least, is alive and up to his old tricks."

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"You know dat fer sure?" Jou asked, staring at the mark, "How can ya tell?"

"This is his mark," Yami said simply.

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Bakurah had explained the mark to Yami once (more like bragged about it repeatedly, really). The necromancer-demon's mark was a circle with three lines through it, two horizontal and one vertical. The circle stood for the world, the vertical line for the traps and other barriers people put between Bakurah and their valuables, and the two horizontal lines were supposed to depict that Bakurah was more than capable of crossing those barriers and coming back with the treasure - and that he was especially capable of doing it a lot more than once.

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When Yami said this, Jou laughed, "Dat sounds like him all right!"

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"But doesn't this mean…" Yugi trailed off, looking at the doorway.

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"Yeah, dere musta been treasure in here!" Jou exclaimed, "Dat no-good thief! While we're riskin' our necks ta save da day, _he_ decides ta go find himself some treasure!"

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"Not exactly," Yami said, stepping through the doorway and smirking with satisfaction at what he found there.

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"Huh?" Jou blinked.

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"_Wow!_" Yugi gasped - he had followed Yami inside and was now standing at the mage-demon's elbow, staring at the gleaming items laid out in front of them.

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Jou made similar noises of appreciation when he finally stepped inside.

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"If he's such a great thief, why'd he leave all dis stuff behind?" the blonde wondered, goggling over the various rare and shiny things the room was filled with.

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Indeed, most of the valuables had been left untouched - undoubtedly, a few of the smaller, nicer pieces were now heading further away by the moment, tucked neatly inside of Bakurah's pockets for, as the thief would put it, _safekeeping_ - but this roomful of wealth was not what had attracted the necromancer-demon's attention in the first place, not anymore than it had attracted Yami's.

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For set out on a table in the corner, innocuous amongst all the other golden trinkets and treasures, was something that could not, **should** not have ever been here at all. Judging from the scuff marks, the one _other_ thing that should never have been moved here at all had been here as well, but Bakurah had already left with it.

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"Oh c'mon, I bet dat Ha-ka-ku guy won't miss a coupla little gems," Jou was saying.

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"You shouldn't take things like this, Jou! None of those jewels belong to you!" Yugi scolded him.

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With the mortals distracted, Yami was able to slip his prize - a small box made of gold - into his pocket completely unnoticed.


	37. 37

...Hmm. Can't think of anything witty to say here this time.

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Oh well. I guess the fic will just have to sell itself - woe the fic **MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! **

_(ahem)_'

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Disclaimer: see last chapter

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"I don't know, this doesn't seem right at all, guys," Yugi said, fiddling with the lovely protection necklace he was now sporting, "We're _stealing!_"

"How do ya know dat Hi-ka-ka-whatever guy didn't steal it from somebody else himself first, Yug'?" Jou pointed out, straightening his own.

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The only things Yami had let the mortals take from the treasure room had been a pair of necklaces that Yami had noticed in a corner, under a table weighed down with diamond-studded nose rings. They were charmed to protect their wearers from physical harm, so Yami felt justified about taking them, but the mortals got to take nothing else.

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Common sense, really - many wicked creatures were fanatically obsessed with what they viewed as their property, no matter whether they could use it or needed it or not. Besides, necklaces like those, Hauru would have most definitely stolen or taken as spoils of murder, so Yami chose not to feel bad about it. 

…The minor, not-at-all important fact that Yugi looked very good in gold had, of course, absolutely **nothing** to do with that decision. Nope, not a single thing!

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Past the corridor junction, where the three of them took the path that the mortals had originally planned to take, the third level grew gradually lighter, but in an odd way. Fuzzy patches of lightness hung in midair, here and there, brightening up the corridor. The fact that these patches were always on and around slash and crater-marks in the walls, floor, and ceiling was not lost on Yami - especially what with how walking through those patches gave him a serious case of the chills. 

This was White magic residue, and right now only Yugi's schoolmate Ryou was a likely suspect…with the thief's obvious possessiveness of his chosen mortal, and that treasure room back down that last corridor, it all fit.

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Unfortunately, so did the ominous floor-shaking and partially muffled crashing noises that started up the further along the three of them went. And judging from the sounds, they were being made by a LOT of mysterious somethings.

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"Ah, man, not more nasty monstas," Jou complained, getting a better grip on his flameblade, "Can't dis Ha-ka-whatever guy think of somethin' different fer once?"

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The corridor went around a sharp bend, and up ahead was an archway, leading into what looked like a very large room. It was hard to tell at first because whatever size room it was, it was lit far better than the rest of this entire floor.

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"Sweet! I can see light! Wonderful, wonderful light!" Jou cheered, charging for the archway, his concerns about upcoming monsters completely forgotten.

But just as the blonde reached it, some sort of gigantic object slammed into the floor of the room, right in front of the arch. The shockwave from the impact knocked Jou off his feet and backwards. Yami, who was only barely able to stay on his feet himself, pulled Yugi out of the way before his larger friend could land on him and crush him easily.

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Meanwhile, whatever it was that had hit the floor was straightening up and looking around. The floor rattled hollowly under its feet as it stomped past the archway, heading for another part of the big room. Once it was far enough away not to notice them, Yami and the others entered to room to for a better look around.

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This room was very oversized. In height, it would have taken up three stories in a human building, and could have fit Yugi's house inside the walls several times with plenty of floor space to spare. It was shaped to be a very large dome, and there were hundreds of large witchboil sconces on the walls to provide light, though it was still technically very dim.

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Running around the floor were thirty or so large brown things, identical to the thing that had landed near them moments ago. They were shaped like men, but were all brown and solid and seven feet tall, with the only non-brown part of their bodies being their ball-shaped, red-colored heads.

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"Those things are bad news, right?" Yugi asked

"Hey! They don't look dat tough ta me!" Jou declared, "C'mon, s'not like they're made of solid rock or anything…err, I mean, can you tell if they're made of rock or whatever, Yam'?"

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"**Rock**, no," Yami sighed - well, at least the foolhardy mortal had asked before throwing himself into combat, "Clay, yes. These things are probably just constructs…"

"Den I guess its time fer us ta de-construct 'em!" Jou declared, raising his sword and charging towards the swarming clay-men.

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"Is he going to be okay?" Yugi asked Yami immediately.

"…Come on, this shouldn't take too long," Yami said, extending his claws and starting to walk briskly towards this new wave of opponents.

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Jou, meanwhile, had already reached the nearest of the golems and had decided to start off with a flashy wave of fire, apparently the favorite part of his new weapon. Four of the clay-men vanished into the flames…and remained standing after the fire had died down, slightly charred but otherwise undamaged.

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"Ah _damn_ -" Jou yelped, turning and running away from the golems as they turned around, towards the source of those flames, and charged.

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Yami was about to hurry his steps, intending to veer over and help the blonde with his little situation, when a bright flash of white light from the other side of the room caught his eyes. His regular eyesight told him there was one, maybe two other people over there, and that they were fighting against the golems. Yami's sixth senses told him that both of those people were mortals and one of them was using very familiar White magic.

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"Ryou and Honda are both over there!" Yugi exclaimed only a few seconds later, "And it looks like they're in trouble! What do we do?"

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'_We? Since when…never mind_,' Yami mentally shook himself, taking in Yugi's determined expression, '_They're his friends, why not, there isn't time to argue anyway_.'

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"I'll cut through the middle of those golems and distract them," Yami summarized quickly, "You'll have to stay on the edge of the room, and get the two of them to follow you back to the door we entered with, understand?"

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Yugi blinked - apparently he'd been expecting Yami to say that it was too dangerous for him to fight, and that they'd have to argue about it - before nodding and heading off to complete his assigned task.

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Leaving Yami to exercise his speed and agility by darting in amongst the golems, dodging and otherwise ignoring every attack they aimed his way as he passed, until he was closer to the other side of the room.

As for Ryou and Honda, they seemed to have been nearly holding their own, judging by the amount of scattered clay limbs and bodies that they were surrounded by.

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As Yami made his way closer, he saw that Honda had leapt onto the back of a golem, climbing the rest of the way to cling to its head, and in its confusion the clay-man was swinging its arms wildly, smashing everything nearby, including other golems. When another golem swung at the first's head, aiming for the clinging mortal, Honda let go and dropped to the floor, while the golem he had been hanging on to had its head smashed into pieces and fell in a heap of dirt. Ryou was swatting away with his magically enhanced flyswatter, but wasn't causing very much damage.

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Another golem jumped at the two mortals from behind, something they failed to spot until it was too late for them to get out of the way. Quickly calling on his magic, Yami flung a crescent-shaped blade of magic at the offending clay-man. Aimed perfectly, the attack sliced the golem's head off its shoulders, leaving the rest of its body to collapse into a pile of harmless dirt.

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"Huh?" Honda gasped, blinking as he belatedly realized that they had just been saved by someone, "What the…_guys!_"

"Finally! We found you!" Yugi announced as he ran over from the sidelines, "Ryou, Honda, we have to hurry! Come on!"

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"But…what about him?" Ryou asked as he followed after Yugi, pointing back in Yami's direction.

"He's fine, come on!" Yugi insisted.

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As soon as the mortals were in the clear, Yami moved to put himself between them and the golems that were trying to catch up to them. Detecting a more dangerous opponent than mere mortals in the mage-demon, the clay-men moved to surround him, until Yami was standing inside of a ring of about twenty golems.

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Before they attempted to strike him down, Yami got to wait very patiently while the clay-men shifted the shape of their clay arms, their blocky hands melting into sharply-pointed blades that jutted from their wrists.

"Will we be playing with sharp objects today?" Yami smirked, "I **think** I can manage that…"

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Shaping his magic carefully, Yami's lower arms and hands were swiftly enveloped in long lavender-tinted blades of pure magical power, which crackled warningly when Yami let their tips touch. That done, Yami gave the looming golems a mocking bow, which they took as the signal to start the battle.


	38. 38

And now, as I present you this next chapter (just a little bit behind schedual) let me just say one thing.

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_**DON'T KILL ME!**_

(authoress hides under Impenatrable Fortress O' Solitude..aka a rock)

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Disclaimer: I don't not not own Yugioh

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For the first time in seemed like a VERY long while since this adventure had started, Yami was actually having fun.

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His demonic side was basking in the thrill of such a wild and dangerous fight, while the rest of him was treating this battle as just another one of the more dangerous old games…perfectly reasonable and quite understandable, of course, when you thought about what **those** sorts of games usually consisted of…

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It helped that golems were much faster and steadier than regular panicky humans…Yami's world had narrowed down to his reflexes, feint-duck-leftblock-rightblock-jump-uppercut-stab-dive-flip-_cutcutcut_…

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As things progressed, Yami was treated to fleeting glimpses of how the mortals were doing.

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Bursts of flame from the far side of the golem horde showed that Jou had finally figured out the right way to use his flameblade, and the blonde was now whaling merrily away at everything in his path. As for the other three, some more of the clay-men had caught up to them, keeping them from getting out the doorway, but it wasn't going as badly as it could have been…especially when 'stray' bursts of Yami's magic easily took care of any golem that got within three feet of Yugi.

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The number of golems dropped rapidly, perhaps too rapidly - when there was only about a dozen left, every single golem abruptly broke off it's attack, turned around, and in unison ran towards the center of the room. There was no one in that part of the room, which made this seem very strange at first, but when the golems reached the center they kept running…ramming right into each other at full speed.

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"Uh-oh…dis can't be good…" Yami heard Jou say from his spot on the other side of the room.

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As the golems hit one another, their bodies shifted and melted together, the shifting lumps of clay stretching upwards to reach bigger and more dangerous forms. With astonishing rapidity, the nine intact golems and four damaged golems merged into two mammoth-sized _things_…things which Yami only vaguely recalled learning about, a _long_ time ago.

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A far higher class of magical construct than any mere golem, a guardian was a destructive force of unparalleled single-mindedness and ferocity…and that was the sort of information people took to their graves via their sudden bone-crushing demises.

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These guardians, though still made of the same clay as the golems that composed them, were more than twice as tall, not including their thick, black, cone-shaped heads. They also had four long arms each, two ending in blocky fists and the other two ending in long, dangerous spikes.

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'Oh _shit_ -'

The guardians moved, rushing back towards the battles the golems had so recently abandoned. One headed towards Jou, who had immediately run to put himself between the other three mortals and this new threat. The other charged straight for Yami.

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This was very bad. Yami had been putting plenty of effort and magic into fighting the golems - too much, as it turned out - but this wasn't just terrible, it was madness! Instead of getting a chance to fight effectively, all Yami was able to do now was barely keep himself intact by defending and scrambling to get out of the way of this dangerous - not to mention FAST - opponent's reach.

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Pathetically enough, the mortals were doing better than the mage-demon at the moment. Their guardian was standing perfectly still and lashing out at the scrambling humans, letting out a hollow rumbling noise of frustration every time it missed its target - thankfully every time - or when either Jou or Ryou retaliated, hitting one of its arms with their respective magical weapon.

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In the very moment Yami was facing their direction, Honda bravely (more like INSANELY) jumped onto one of the guardian's hammering-fist hands. The giant construct, taking a moment to register this oddity, raised its hand above its head, Honda clinging to the wrist like a human leech, and tried to shake him off.

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This was apparently part of the mortals' plan, because when the guardian was distracted Jou sprang into action, unleashing the fiery serpent of his sword that he was so fond of using. Aimed correctly, it burrowed deeply into the guardian's weak point - the dull red stripe, made from the red clay of former golem heads, that ran up and down the middle of their bodies. The rest of the guardian's body collapsed into a huge pile of dirt, which Honda landed safely on after a short, screaming plunge.

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Yami was distracted by this just a little too long. Barely managing to dance out of the way of an incoming spike-hand from the guardian still trying to destroy him, the mage-demon completely missed the incoming fist aimed at the back of his head.

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When it connected, the force behind the blow gave Yami plenty of momentum to tumble across the floor, until he rolled to a halt, stunned and unable to make himself move.

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If there was any noise, having his brain rattle around his skull was more than enough to keep Yami from hearing it. According to his recovering senses, the world was twisting around very strangely, while the rumbling of the floor suggested that if Yami didn't get up, very soon he would be permanently affixed to the floor as a splatter mark.

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Too late, the guardian was there and raising a hand…now it was coming down at full speed, a blur of death from above…but something had gotten between it and Yami's eyes, a familiar shape -

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Everything dissolved in a flash of blinding white light.


	39. 39

Okay, there's been some screaming, and there's been some yelling...but I kid you not, I only got the computer running again yesterday! My dad put in wi-fi last week, then promptly left for Japan without telling me how to rehook my computer up! So that's why I'm only posting this today!

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...Don't look at me like that, its true!

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Oh, go read the fic, you big meanies.

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Disclaimer: Yugioh not owned by me

Claimer: Stuff I invented is mine, stuff I'm borrowing is someone else's...you get the idea

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Yami hurriedly beat back his last few seconds of whirling dizziness, only to gape in shock at what he was seeing.

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Everything was still there, including the painfully bright light, but standing between the mage-demon and the spiked arm of the guardian, something that should have killed him by now, was, was -!

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**What - the - HELL -**

It was _YUGI!_

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Yugi was standing, arms outstretched, and the protection necklace on his neck was going off like a second sun had entered the room. And unbelievably enough, the necklace, which was supposed to prevent the boy from sustaining physical harm, was holding off the deadly needle-pointed hand of the guardian and preventing it from doing any damage to either of them.

Which made absolutely no SENSE - there was no way that puny-necklace-thing had been packing enough power to hold off something as big as that! Yami would have sensed it if it had, but it had been fine for basic defense, both of them had, but not for this, not anything remotely like this!

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'…Not that I'm complaining,' Yami added, scrambling to get off the ground.

Even with this little miracle, there was going to be a need for both of them to move, and it need to be very fast and timed absolutely perfectly.

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The guardian pushed harder with its arm, trying to break through the invisible shield the necklace was projecting to stop it. In response, the necklace's light grew brighter as its repelling force increased. Yugi's face was screwed up in concentration…somehow the boy was controlling the flow of magic, even if he was only instinctively aiming it and holding it up through sheer force of will.

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The necklace was giving off a high-pitched hum now - uh-oh, no way that flimsy thing had been crafted to handle this much power, it was going to give out any second -!

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It happened within seconds: the guardian pushed its arm forward, as hard as it could. The protection necklace flashed dazzlingly, the force of its repelling magic reaching such a peak that it actually shattered the guardian's huge clay arm into dust, all the way to where the arm met the body. Unfortunately, the backlash caused the necklace to splinter into fragments, burst by power beyond its capacity to hold.

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The guardian took a full step back, bellowing in astonishment. With the two counteracting pressures gone, Yugi nearly fell over, stumbling as he regained his balance. The other three mortals were near to screaming in amazed joy, but Yami's attention was momentarily drawn to the sliver of necklace he had just picked up.

His attention wasn't _so_ taken, though, that the guardian's enraged attempt to turn both Yami and Yugi into flat pancakes went unnoticed. With lightning speed, Yami had thrown himself and the boy clear, while the guardian turned a patch of flooring into a splintery crater.

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Yami hadn't really aimed their escape anywhere more specific than 'away from the plunging hammer of death', so he was a little disoriented to find that they were both now behind the guardian. The monolithic construct, for its part, was rumbling and looking this way and that, apparently not aware exactly where its targets had vanished off to.

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"Ugh…please warn me next time, I'm all dizzy," Yugi groaned, rubbing his head as he sat up.

"Sure," Yami answered, taking this time to examine the fragment he still had clutched in one hand.

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The damage clearly showed it had ripped itself apart through a power overload.

But there were no traces of any power-boosting spells, no hint of any possible magical interference…it was as if a simple protection spell had just started multiplying its power, making itself bigger and more powerful until it exploded - except that there was nothing that could make a spell that simple DO that.

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'Well, no, there is that **one** thing,' Yami corrected himself, thinking of the weight in his pocket.

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A sudden half-thought made him hesitate, and Yami turned to look over his charge.

'…But…wait. Does this mean…is it even possible…did _he_ do it?'

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Because if Yugi had, somehow, in someway, managed this…then everything finally made SENSE!

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The boy's overall level of magic was nothing special, but it wasn't the quantity, it was the quality. Yugi had to be an AMPLIFIER.

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Magical amplification was an incredibly rare branch of magic, not something you could learn easily, if you got it right at all, but once you knew how to multiply your magic, the weakest spell could turn devastatingly dangerous. In fact, overdoing amplification always resulted in too much power, which was more dangerous to its wielder than anything else…a spell-caster could 'crash and burn out', as it was sometimes called, just as easily as an artifact…the results were usually VERY messy, IF the spell-caster didn't simply vaporize.

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Back in the park, when the girl and Hauru had first shown their true colors, Yami distinctly recalled his magic going off, completely unexpectedly, while Yugi had been standing, what, right next to him? Behind him? This felt rather awkward to even consider - Yugi could have popped Yami like a hamster in a microwave, and the boy didn't even know it…

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'And no one's going to tell _him_ that, either,' Yami decided, and turned his attention back to the guardian.

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The three-armed construct was beginning move around, carefully turning to see if its targets were somehow behind it - which Yami and Yugi were - and Yami started focusing, wanting to take this obstacle out in one strike.

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Yami's powers were nowhere near great enough to take out such a huge guardian. Or rather, they weren't strong enough _normally_, but he had a feeling he'd manage to, this time.

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"Um, it's turning around," Yugi piped up nervously.

"It's all right," Yami said, shaping the magic until his fingers tingled with power, "I can get it."

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Yugi seemed to push his nervousness back, and nodded. As if on cue, Yami felt his magic sharply surge - but this only confirmed his theory and he'd been counting on it.

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The guardian turned all the way around, only to face a monstrous wave of magic rushing straight for it. The vastly oversized snake blasted right through the guardian's abdomen, twisted around to pin its three remaining arms, and sliced the head in half, finishing off by mercilessly crushing the construct until it collapsed into dirt and dust.

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The snake faded, the mortals ran around finding each other again in the dust-choked air of the room, and since no one was looking Yami sucked on his burnt fingers. Hadn't crashed that time…


	40. 40

Yes, yes, you all finally figured out what was going on with Yugi. Hooray for you guys.

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Of course, that bit of info will soon be oh-so-very inconsequential...stay tuned and find out how! _**Oh ho ho ho ho!**_

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Side Note: Has anyone seen GX yet? I have, and I find it quite entertaining in its pathetic-ness. Who else besides me thinks _you-know-who_ in the first episode has **finally** hit puberty by this point? (It IS him, you know - no puzzle means no pharaoh)

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Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh

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Claimer: I do own everything I invented, except for the stuff that's borrowed. That belongs to their own inventors (thanks again, Thunderstorm101!)

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"So, what were you guys doing fighting all those things in the first place, anyway?" Yugi asked Honda and Ryou.

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"Blame that psychopathic jerk, not us," Honda huffed, "First he was all '_Follow me, lowly mortals, I'll see you through alive and **mostly** uninjured_'…then he vanished for a while, came back loaded with treasure or something, and when those things attacked us, left us to fend for ourselves!"

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"You sure?" Jou blinked.

"…Bakura said that the rest of the building was going to be too dangerous for, um, us," Ryou said, looking embarrassed.

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"Don't try to sugarcoat it, he called us '_whiny little wet-behind-the-ears babies_' and said that if we couldn't even kill those clay things - and he called them '_silly little toys_' - then it proved we were too **weak** to hang around with him anyway!"

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"What a lousy jerk! No good son of a - I say we go afta him and kick his psychotic ass!" Jou yelled.

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"Oh dear," Ryou sighed.

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While all of this was going on, Yami examined the exit they were currently standing in front of. The huge room had plenty of archways leading out, but this was the only one that had a staircase leading upwards in it. Unlike the previous sections, this seemed to be a monster-free passageway, and Yami didn't like it one bit. Just thinking about going up there made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end - and he had absolutely no idea why.

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Bakurah, with that sixth sense of his - the reason he had always been good at thievery - would have been able to tell exactly what was up there. No wonder he had left his chosen mortal down here, fighting against what must have seemed like relatively weak golems.

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"Well, c'mon! What are we waiting for? Lets get going already!" Jou announced, startling Yami from his thoughts as the he started moving towards the steps.

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"Are you very sure that we should?" Ryou asked, bringing up the very point Yami himself was about to mention, "I don't know about the rest of you, but something seems terribly wrong about going up those stairs."

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"Hey man, don't worry, you can't admit that you're scared, you know," Honda replied.

"I'm not _scared_," Ryou retorted, "I…just…I just don't think it's a very good idea! That's all!"

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"Yeesh," Jou sighed, scratching his head, "I mean, sure, its **not** dat good of an idea, you know, what with that mega-evil-demon-guy being up there. But dats why we gotta go - how else are we supposed ta kick his nasty demonic butt?"

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"I suppose you're right…" Ryou said.

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"C'mon, we'll even let Yam' go first," Jou added, apparently on a roll, "He'll know way ahead a time if there's something too dangerous fer us up dere."

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And that was how Yami found himself leading the way up the staircase, the four mortals following right behind. It was the position he would have taken anyway, so it wasn't a big deal.

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This stairwell was more disturbing than the previous one, but not because it was unusually shaped or of any extended length. The eeriness came from its unexpected normality - aside from how high it went and how wide it was, this staircase was an example of perfectly average human construction. It was even illuminated by regular torches - lit with actual fire - and that was the reason this staircase was uninhabited.

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Five long flights up, they reached the top landing. Leading off from the landing were archways that opened off into five separate corridors, all perfectly ordinary and human-looking, all lit with more torches.

This was just wrong.

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"Guys, is anyone else starting to get a really bad feeling?" Yugi piped up as they waited, wondering which of the five corridors they were going to head down next.

"Uh…now dat ya mention it…"

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Jou and Honda both looked distinctly uncomfortable, and Ryou was especially twitchy. All the while, Yami was reaching out with his senses, trying to figure out exactly what was creating this sense of impending disaster. And why did it seem so eerily _familiar?_…

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Yami couldn't figure it out. Up at this floor, there was so much magic floating around that it was impossible to pinpoint anything. But since there was no point to standing around waiting for danger to find them without warning, they would have to head out and meet that danger head-on.

And by they, Yami really meant himself. The mortals would have to go find a hiding place and stay there until things got safer - no _wonder_ Bakurah had left Ryou downstairs.

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When Yami mentioned that this was going to be their next move, there were some complaints from Jou and Honda, but the others reluctantly agreed to wait at the landing while Yami went on ahead.

None of the corridors felt exactly safe, but some felt safer, and Yami chose one of those. No longer having to keep close to any slow-moving mortals, Yami was able to pick up his pace. The sooner he checked things out, the sooner he could get back, after all.

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The corridor, like the staircase, was of disturbingly ordinary human construction. No monsters lay in wait in these wooden-paneled passageways - the flickering fires mounted every few meters saw to that. And aside from the oppressive atmosphere, there was nothing to find.

There didn't even seem to be anything remotely dangerous, no matter what twists and turns the corridor made as it intersected other corridors, winding around in this maze-like fashion to no end.

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Unless, of course, you ran into a trap someone had set for any passing and unwary mage-demons. It had been hidden in such a way that Yami wouldn't have detected it in a thousand years, though, so it wasn't _entirely_ a careless blunder to set the damn thing off.

One step too many, the walls, ceiling, and floor of the passageway Yami was moving through erupted with light. Yami had just enough time to catch a glimpse of some of the glowing runes carved into the walls - he even thought he recognized a pattern for invoking sleep - before the world went away again.


	41. 41

You love me! Even if bad things happen to Yami!

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Well, don't none a'yall worry - that fun is only just beginning!

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Disclaimer: Yugioh does not belong to me

Claimer: The stuff I invented is mine, all mine!

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The only difference between being hit by a sleeping spell and drinking wine until you passed out was that with the wine, you got to be drunk and enjoy yourself BEFORE you had to suffer through the hangover.

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That was why Yami woke up to a throbbing pain in his head, a foul taste in his mouth, and a feeling of extreme embarrassment that he had been taken out so easily. Five thousand years of rotting in that pit had caused his skills to deteriorate inexcusably.

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The next thing he noticed, though, was that there was something wrong with his legs and hands. He couldn't move them…after a minute or so, Yami realized they weren't working because he had been tied up. With rope, even!

So that wouldn't have been a problem…IF there wasn't something keeping Yami from ripping the rope off like the flimsy string it was. In fact, there was something seriously wrong with him, now that the sleeping spell's effects were starting to wane; his whole body felt very strange, and his senses were somehow so pitifully _weak_…

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…Actually, Yami had felt like this once, and for years. But that hadn't happened for ages now…ever since -

"Will you look at that? He seems to be waking up," came a grating female voice.

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Hearing the girl's voice, Yami forced himself to get his eyes open. Easier thought than accomplished - there was enough active sleeping magic still on him that Yami's body reacted as if it had been recast in lead. That would even explain his sudden strange feebleness…

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"Hmm…" came a masculine voice Yami identified as Hauru's, "Well, inferior animals _do_ make inferior seals. Oh, and where are you going, my dear?"

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"Where do you think?" came the girl's voice, "He's been such a **nuisance**…I only want to show him my **appreciation** for all he's done."

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"I wouldn't bother. That seal is still more than enough to leave you as frail and helpless as you were the day we met," Hauru told her, the amusement in his voice holding the faintest undertone of mockery.

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…Almost…there! Yami managed to get his eyes slightly open - only to have them shut immediately, watering from unexpected exposure to the bright light this room seemed to be lit with. It took whole minutes for them to fully adjust as well, leaving Yami with the feeling that there really was something dreadfully wrong with him.

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This new room was fairly large, much like the oversized room below where the golems had been massed, though not nearly as dramatic. Instead of using any witchboil or fire, the room was lit with clean, bright light, such as one would get using electricity. Furniture-wise, there was one oversized chair decorated with spikes with various skulls impaled on them - undoubtedly Hauru's personal throne, as Hauru was currently lounging in it. The only other decorations the room had were the mountains of bones piled around the walls, some human, some not. The disgusting girl was hovering near the throne, and sneered at the mage-demon's confusion as he propped himself up to look around.

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"It's such a shame, really," Hauru announced, a trifle placidly, "He managed to get ALL the way up here, but he still has to die. Such a waste of material…"

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Yami bristled at the commentary, then turned his attention towards something else. The faint vibration in his fingers was a good enough excuse…and that was when Yami saw the circle.

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Yami had already noticed - and paid no mind to the fact - that he was not quite in the center of the room. But this was the first time he'd looked down, and to his dismay he found himself sitting inside a ring of runes and other symbols for channeling magic. The whole circle was glowing a faint purple, and looked distinctly familiar. Yami had never seen anything like this before, but something in his bones told him he knew who had created it.

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"Ah, I see you've finally discovered our little sealing ward there," Hauru said, this time addressing Yami directly, "Do you like it? It was put in especially for you, you know."

"I feel so flattered," Yami replied, not bothering to hide his sarcasm.

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"You SHOULD be," the girl suddenly piped up, apparently feeling ignored, "I personally think we should just torture you for a while, but this is supposed to be a better idea for finding where you stashed that pesky little brat."

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"That would be because it _is_," Yami thought he heard Hauru murmur, in a tone not-at-all friendly.

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Certainly the demon looked less than pleased with the girl's attitude towards his plan. Suddenly Yami was almost glad the girl was a stupid mouthy bitch - if she insulted Hauru like this enough, he would **have** to avenge the slander to his power and cunning in full demonic style.

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Inattentive as she was - full of the belief that she and Hauru were full-fledged partners in whatever insane venture this was for them - the girl missed the demon's remark entirely and continued sneering at Yami.

0

"So, where is he, anyway? I mean," the girl pitched her voice into a piteous whine, "He's my FRIEND and I'm SO _worried_ about him…"

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Yami considered a retort - 'eat gargoyle shit and die' came to mind - but instead opted to ignore the girl completely, thus keeping himself from justifying her existence via acknowledging it.

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The fact that she clearly didn't like being ignored was a nice bonus. Looking past the girl, Yami gave Hauru a bland smirk, telling the demon without words that he wasn't going to get any answers this easily. Hauru, for his part, seemed to approve of his prey having a backbone, because he merely smiled in return and mentioned, "Much a delight as this is, I really must be getting along with my plans…if you don't speak of your own free will, my man will leave you singing like a parrot in no time, so there's really no point in -" 

"Argh! If there's no point to all this stupid stuff, then let me have a crack at him already!" the girl piped up, turning to address Hauru, "You said I would get a chance to make him pay!"

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"Shouldn't have done that," Yami murmured as Hauru fixed an icy stare on his female cohort.

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Slowly, Hauru raised an arm, while the girl eyed him in curiosity and confusion. An eye blink later, the girl had already crashed into one of the bone piles next to Hauru's throne, slammed there by that same arm, which was now retracting to its regular length.

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"_Owww_," the girl whined as she struggled out of the bones and to her feet - and just how in the hell had she lived through that, anyway? - and staggered a few steps towards her former ally, "Hauru! What the hell was that for, you stupid bastard!"

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"You actually had a use once, little girl," Hauru said, his voice now as icy as his glare, "I see keeping you around afterwards was a mistake."

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"Well, with my new powers, I'll make you pay for that!" the girl shrieked.

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She raised her hands, which started to spark with power - not something he could remember sensing her possessing, if Yami thought about it - and moved to strike Hauru with that power.

Whether or not she would have caused Hauru any damage, no one would ever know. Mere instants before her attack would have been launched, the girl's neck vanished in a spray of blood.

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Slightly flabbergasted at the sudden change in action, Yami gaped rather openly as the girl's body collapsed, twitching in its death throws and promising to make a pretty big puddle of blood. The mage-demon forced his face back under control as soon as he could, of course, but Hauru had not looked surprised in the least. Instead, the demon only looked vaguely disappointed.

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"You should know by now that I prefer my meals alive and screaming," the demon complained.

Hauru was addressing the person who stepped out from around the bone pile. That one made a point of avoiding touching any of the girl's blood on the floor, and in a completely non-servile tone replied, "She was in the way."

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Then the newcomer turned towards Yami, who wasn't really able to keep himself from visibly gaping in shock this time. Of all the people…this was bad, this was SO bad…Yami fought through a wall of a slightly unfamiliar feeling - fear - and grimaced.

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"Hello, Yami," the newcomer smirked.

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Yami growled in the back of his throat.

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"…Hello, Seto," the mage-demon reluctantly replied.


	42. 42

To whoever said it: What do you mean, addicted to drugs and alcohol? Yami isn't addicted to anything in this story (well, maybe Yugi). The reason he knows what a hangover is is because, like many of you, Yami is/was a teenager and found some wine and drank it. Don't tell me none of you haven't gone through the same experiment with the same result!

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Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh

Claimer: Lets see, I own the Dammug Beasts, the Koriokosos, Rosa, the stone limpets, the Crawkers, Hauru...the list goes on...

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"It has been a while, hasn't it?" Seto said, walking almost to the edge of the sealing magical circle Yami was still stuck in the middle of, "I was almost worried you wouldn't remember me."

Yami once again struggled against the rope pinning his hands helplessly behind his back. If Seto was here…even the nearby Hauru seemed like a more pleasant foe than the brown-haired blue-eyed priest.

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"Oh, I remember you," Yami said, glaring at the tall man, "As much as I might wish otherwise…"

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Hauru, still lounging on his throne, laughed.

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"This IS interesting!" the demon chuckled, "You never mentioned you knew this little one, priest. No wonder you insisted on a chance to draw your little circle there - though I don't think it works. He can still talk."

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"You made this…thing?" Yami blinked, glancing at the circle.

"And it works **perfectly**," Seto added, the satisfied smirk on his face sending a wave of rage through Yami's whole body, "This particular design seals demonic energy. I crafted it especially for you, since I couldn't bear for you to miss a moment."

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"_**Bastard**_," Yami growled, glaring at the smug priest with undisguised hatred.

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THAT was why he was feeling strangely weak. Everything manifest of his demonic power - superior senses and strength - had been effectively erased. And without that, he was only…Yami couldn't bear to let himself even consider it.

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"Ah, I believe I've missed the point," Hauru spoke up, clearly enjoying this little drama, "You say it suppresses his power…yet he's still conscious, which no demon could be."

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"Well, that's perfectly simple as well," Seto said, his voice mockingly disappointed, "Yami here didn't give up his _entire_ soul for that power. Now that he's without it, he's back to being nothing more than what he was born as - a simple little human being."

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There was a noise from some corner of the room that might have been a shocked gasp. If there was any such noise, it was immediately drowned out by Hauru's raucous laughter.

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"Half a demon! That really means he's just a human with a little bit of demon inside - now** THAT'S** funny!" Hauru roared, "You mortals are always such reliable entertainment!"

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Yami ignored Hauru, though, choosing instead to send Seto a glare that promised nothing but pain and torment. The errant priest was unfazed by it, barely paying Yami any attention at the moment.

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"Well then," Hauru said, once he was done laughing, "I believe that you have what you wanted, little Priestling…I, however, seem to be missing something that I desire, and I believe this one here knows where my prize is."

"I haven't forgotten," the priest said.

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Yami growled as Seto took a step closer to the sealing circle. Within this particularly demonic room, the priest's more modern garb seemed out of place. If it had been almost anyone else, Yami might not have recognized them, but there was no mistaking this former-apprentice-of-a-High-Priest.

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Which reminded Yami of something.

"How can you still be alive, anyway?" Yami demanded.

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"You may take THIS as my explanation," Seto smirked, pulling out a shining golden object and holding it out for Yami to view.

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It was a short, golden stick. Topped with an engraved eye, shaped like a dagger, and overflowing with dark power accumulated over the centuries, there was no doubt to its identity. One of the ancient and deadly treasures of darkness, once wielded by one of the legendary Guardians of the Twelve Hours of Night…

It certainly did explain everything.

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"I get it now," Yami said slowly, "You bound yourself to it, didn't you? A Forsaken Object - the Millennium Rod!"

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"I'm glad to see your memory hasn't failed you," Seto replied.

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Yami tried to sneer back at him, but it ended up being more of a grimace, and for good reason, too.

"I also seem to recall this USED to be the sort of thing you'd never allow happen. But I suppose all these years have mellowed your thinking on the subject of demons, my _cousin_."

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Seto's eyes flashed. That was all the warning Yami got before he found himself pinned to the ground, head pulled back by his hair, with Seto holding the sharp-blade of the Millennium Rod to his throat.

"Call me that again, filthy **beast**, and I will see you sent to the deepest depths of the darkest hells, where you belong!" Seto snarled, pushing the edge in bit more so that a little blood flowed.

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Any movement would slice his jugular wide open, and that included making any retorts, so Yami had to settle for glaring. Even if he was serving Hauru, however remotely, Seto was still the same fanatically dangerous priest he had been back in the old days.

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Once Seto pulled the blade away, though, Yami immediately spoke up.

"It changes nothing. You're still the one who opened the vault and let a demon ransack what I thought you viewed as **sacred** ground," Yami said, enjoying the way Seto immediately looked frustrated - that was his version of embarrassment, "There are things in this fortress that once remained hidden for thousands of years inside that vault, but your duty as its protector didn't seem to have been worth the strain, eh priest?"

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"That is none of your concern," Seto replied flatly, "But there is a bargain which I must maintain…the boy who looks like you. Where is he?"

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Yami smirked.

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"We must be such friends, you think to just ask me."

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Stepping away and out of the circle - not-so-accidentally booting Yami sharply in the ribs while doing so - Seto held the Millennium Rod out so that its eye was pointed right towards Yami's face.

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"These centuries have given me plenty of time to practice the deeper abilities of this weapon," the priest stated, "Unwillingly or no, I shall have an answer out of you yet, **beast**."

The eye erupted with beams of shining golden light.


	43. 43

IhatewritersblockIhatewritersblockIhatewritersblockIhatewritersblockIhatewritersblockIhatewritersblockIhatewritersblockIhatewritersblockIhatewritersblockIhatewritersblock...

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Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yugioh

Claimer: All the stuff I made up for this fic is MINE! And please don't make me go through the whole list again...it hurts the throat, ya?

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Even half-blinded by the light that the Rod was putting out, Yami could still feel the foul, unnatural way the magic was pushing at him, trying to pin his mind down. A simple human might try to hide behind their mental defenses for protection from such an invasion, but that was stupid.

Almost amused by the irony of it, Yami pinpointed the source of the mental pressure and lashed out at the source of his torment, the same as any other trapped animal. The bastard priest grumbled something under his breath - tsk tsk, such language! - and pushed harder.

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Of course, unless Yami hurt Seto enough to make him lose his focus, this was practically guaranteed to be a losing battle for the mage-demon; in this state, Yami could far too easily sense the flood of shadow magic that the priest was drawing on and it was like an ocean, one that you couldn't possibly avoid drowning in…

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Fortunately, before things became completely hopeless, Seto's focus was broken. Just as things looked their most dire, a white _something_ shot through the air, aimed straight for the priest's head. Seto swung the Millennium Rod around, smashing the thing - a skull? - into chunks, which went flying to the side, inadvertently snapping the connection he had been diligently pounding into Yami's head.

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Fighting the power of a Forsaken Object took quite a bit out of one, Yami discovered. Returning his attention to the outside world, Yami found his body was collapsed on the floor, gasping greedily for breath and as exhausted as if he had run in the desert for hours during midday. For the moment, the mage-demon could do nothing but breathe, absently staring at the spot where the girl's body had been. It wasn't there now, but her blood had spread a good ways. 

The obvious dragging marks and footprints showed where some minion of Hauru's had come to drag the corpse away…incongruously, Yami wondered if what was left of her was already dropping into the acid-fountain he and Yugi had discovered in the basement…

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"It figures," Seto said, drawing Yami's attention back his way, "Disgusting vermin always swarm in hordes."

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Yami turned to where the priest was looking…and growled. There, perched as cheerfully as a monkey on top of Hauru's throne, was a FAR-too-happy-with-himself necromancer-demon who was well overdue for his evisceration.

"Nice to see you too, bastard priest!" Bakurah said, waving cheekily at Seto before bursting into maniacal laughter.

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Hauru, for his part, merely peered upwards to check who was there, but did absolutely nothing else, apparently perfectly content to sit back and watch the unfolding drama. Seto did not fail to disappoint, either - a burst of shadow energy was already zipping through the air, aimed straight for Bakurah's smug face. Yami was torn - he didn't want to wish any success to **either** of them - but Bakurah dodged as if Seto hadn't even been trying to hit him.

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"Oooh, and aren't WE a cranky little bastard?" Bakurah smirked, "Shame on you, such a temper!"

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Seto looked like he was about rush over and snap the thief's neck bare-handed, but managed to (miraculously) compose himself. In a voice that ALMOST sounded completely unconcerned, Seto mentioned, "For all your boasting, thief, your skills seem to be slacking after all these years…"

Bakurah shrugged.

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"You ARE an idiot," the fiend said, smiling so that all his sharp teeth could be seen, "There's _supposed_ to be this soft mushy thing inside your impossibly thick skull, bastard priest, why don't you try USING it? …Assuming you even **have** one of those, of course…"

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Seto frowned, Bakurah laughed again, and Yami started eyeing the edge of the seal he was stick inside of and wondering if he could manage to get himself over to the other side before Seto noticed anything.

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Maybe not. Seto broke off his staring and glaring contest with the fiend and walked around the seal, stopping right at the very spot where Yami had been contemplating escaping. Something about the way Seto was moving set an alarm bell quietly ringing in the back of the mage-demon's head - that smugness and self-satisfaction. Where had he seen that before…?

Oh merciful gods above…_no_. 

Yami's worst fears were confirmed the very instant Seto's features twisted into the vicious parody of a sneer. The last time Yami had seen the priest with that expression…

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"The last time we three were together, there wasn't enough time to settle things properly…and as the filthy **beast** here might recall," Seto drawled, delivering a painful and very unsubtle 'love-tap' right in Yami's solar plexus, "I do so hate to leave my work unfinished."

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Perhaps sensing something amiss, Hauru straightened in his chair. If he hadn't been unable to move or say anything, Yami could have told the demon lord that his so-called 'servant' only served another when it got him what he wanted - and once his goal was in reach, the priest went right through anyone who tried to delay or distract him.

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"Two dangerous animals…and one minor irritant…" Seto added, indicating just how low Hauru was on Seto's scale of importance after all , "You are nothing but a plague to this world, and it will be my great honor to remove you from the face of it."

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"Oh no, the bastard priest is going to try and _kill_ us," Bakurah drawled, "Oh dearie me, what EVER shall I do? Maybe I'll live through it without a scratch…just like last time! Hah hah!"

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"What the hell…" Hauru had gotten up by this point, sensing things had definitely taken a turn for the absolute worse, "Mortal! We still have a deal! And as long as you fail to deliver your end, you remain my servant!"

"Hmm…" Seto seemed amused, "I suppose that is true…"

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And with a flash of gold, the Millennium Rod had shot through the air and buried itself in Hauru's chest, blade-first. Normally, such a wound was little more than a mere inconvenience, especially in a strong, healthy, full-blooded demon lord such as Hauru was. But even with it out of his hands, Seto still had control over his Forsaken Object.

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The Millennium Rod began glowing with a dark and deadly light. The power built rapidly, haloing Hauru in shadow magic, the demon utterly helpless to defend himself as -

There was a flash of black light that threatened to sear Yami's retinas, forcing him to look away. When the light faded, the mage-demon warily looked back, but Hauru was gone. The Millennium Rod was gleaming - almost innocently - as it jutted out from the top of a small pile of withered limbs and shredded flesh that had been a living creature a split-second earlier.

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For a moment, the only sounds in the room was the hissing sound of Hauru's steaming remains cooling off, and Bakurah's low whistle of appreciation.


	44. 44

I hate writer's blocks.

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Have you been able to tell? Thank the gods I finally managed to get past this one. Because of Xmas break, I probably won't post again until after New Years, so...

Feliz Navidad, ya'll!

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Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yugioh

Claimer: See the last one, foolish mortal

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"That was an annoying inconvenience," the priest murmured to himself as he unceremoniously yanked his Millennium Rod out of what little was left of Hauru's corpse, before turning to glare at Bakurah.

The necromancer-demon, for his part, remained calmly nonplussed. In fact…now the bloodthirsty fool was examining his claws, checking for the slightest imperfection, since apparently his beauty was more important than being at all useful.

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Seto didn't know Bakurah half as well as Yami did, and took a menacing step forward. A step that was not threatening to Bakurah in the least, which Yami could have told him if both of them weren't on his '_To Kill Painfully_' list. At the rate Seto's temper was spiking, a troop of - of dancing **hippopotamuses** could have danced their way through the room and the priest wouldn't have noticed a single thing…

Yami nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand take hold of one of his arms. Cursing the damage Seto's damned seal was doing to his senses, Yami twisted around to see what new torture was befalling him…and blinked several times, just to make certain his eyes weren't deceiving him in their moment of weakness.

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Honda, observing the mage-demon's confusion, merely grinned. Jou, who was crouched beside the brunette, grinned just as brightly and whispered, "Hey, we're da rescue crew and we're gonna be savin' ya today."

The blonde HAD to have a death wish, Yami thought to himself.

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"C'mon, let's get you out of this thing before that guy wastes Bakura," Honda muttered, indicating that Yami was to follow them to safety…or at least across the edge of the seal, which was sort of the same thing when you thought about it.

Speaking of which…Bakurah's smug commentary had degenerated a little…into a particularly graphic drinking song from back home that the necromancer-demon was editing as he went along, sticking in as many references to Seto as he could think of. Seto's face was molten-red with fury…at this rate, the priest's head would either explode or Bakurah would soon become a little pile of steaming skin, just like Hauru.

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Of course, none of the regular mortals could understand what Bakurah was singing, but it was just as well: THAT sort of language was unfit for anyone under a thousand years old anyway.

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Meanwhile, back on the seal…Yami had finally reached the edge. With a glance towards Seto - still too busy with Bakurah to notice anything - Yami tried worming his way over the edge.

The seal abruptly flared, and Yami found himself hitting a wall. A zap of something like the Crawkers' electric shocks accompanied this wall, making the two highly useful in discouraging escape attempts. And without any demonic power backing him up this time, Yami discovered that electricity hurt **FAR** more than he'd been led to believe!

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Noticing there was a problem, Jou and Honda decided they needed to Yami across themselves. Their efforts left Yami with his bones aching and his head thundering…Seto's next words not helping in the least.

"I see you've discovered the remainder of that seal's properties…" the bastard priest drawled, turning around and smirking, any trace of infuriation wiped clear from his features.

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The priest raised an eyebrow at the sight of Honda and Jou.

"I see…" Seto mused aloud, "Ordinary human beings can be such _sentimental_ fools…only a true fool would think of keeping that filthy **beast** around as a pet…"

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Yami glared at the priest harder, a snarl already going in the back of his throat. Jou, however, took a little more offense to the slur.

"Ya better watch what ya say about one of my _friends_, ya lousy jerk," Jou growled, pulling the flameblade out from where it had been hidden and getting up to fight.

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Seto blinked at the sight. Then he smirked, clearly finding this very entertaining.

"Loyalty IS a rather prized trait in dogs, isn't it?"

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"OH, DAT'S IT!" Jou yelled, charging in for the attack.

Amused expression fading to one of annoyance, Seto expertly countered Jou's assault and with a flick of the Millennium Rod, sent the blonde flying headfirst into one of the room's many bone piles, the flame blade whirling off to the side to sink deep into another.

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"Enough of this idiotic **nonsense**," Seto growled, targeting Honda with the next wave of magic from his Millennium Rod.

The hapless mortal was enveloped in a golden aura and dragged towards the far wall, where he was left pinned and helpless.

"This time," Seto continued, pulling out a wide, black stone disk, and setting it just inside the lines of the seal, "Things will be done **properly**."

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And with a few more hissing words - words that Yami still didn't know the meaning of - the black stone disk burst open, releasing the wave of non-light that coalesced into the nightmarish maw of the void that lead to Yami's former…and once again…prison, deep within the depths of absolute darkness.

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Things happened very quickly after that.

Just as it had last time, the void began drawing everything in the room inside, attempting to fill its limitless depths. The air was soon filled with dangerous fragments of flying bone, but since Yami was still tied up and couldn't stand, at least he didn't have to worry about THAT.

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Yip-PEE.

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The suction of the maw caught hold of Yami's unashamedly cowering form and began dragging it back soon enough. Fighting against the pull in his position, Yami had no attention to spare for anything else; but he was not completely unaware of the shouting, fighting, and bursts of magic going on around him.

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The void pulled harder, and the seal itself began flickering as its very magical essence was ripped forcibly from it. Abruptly, the seal dimmed to almost nothingness, and Yami felt a surge of new strength race through him. The rope holding his arms snapped like flimsy straw, and the mage-demon sank his claws into the floor, determined to fight this fate with every fiber of his being.

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The suction increased, and Yami's left arm lost its grip. Extending his claws on his right arm, Yami tried to hang in there…that arm had the injured wrist, and by now it was **screaming** under the strain…his claws were slipping…

Small hands seized his wrist, helping him stay in place. Looking up, Yami gaped when he saw that it was Yugi who was helping him. Ryou was holding onto the boy's other hand, and holding Ryou's other hand was - _Bakurah_!

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"Hold on!" Yugi cried, yelling to be heard over the sound of rushing wind.

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At that very moment, possibly receiving a fresh batch of energy from its maker, the seal flared back into full life and power. Yami's claws shrank involuntarily, costing the mage-demon his grip on the floor. Bakurah, who had been crouched on the very edge of the seal, was knocked backwards, dragging Ryou back with him…but the white-haired mortal had lost his own grip on Yugi.

Helpless to save himself, Yami plummeted into the void.


	45. 45

Muwahahahahaha...and ya'll thought I wasn't gonna update 'till after new years!

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Granted, that might be because I **said** as much, but...we can't go forward if we keep regretting the past!

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Actually, my brain hurts from pumping this out. So, now this is the official New Year's Break Chapter of this Story. Ciao!

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PS...this next chapter is only weird like that by accident. I have car fatigue from driving 18 hours yesterday...oi...

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Disclaimer: You obviously can read, since if you can't...hey, why am I writing this if you can't read! For those of you who CAN read...check the last chapter

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The HellPit was just as Yami remembered it: **very** cold, **very** dark, and full of absolutely nothing. Whatever else had been sucked inside was nowhere in arms reach, and it wasn't like Yami could look around at all - the HellPit was **completely** lightless.

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Of course, a stupid part of the mage-demon's mind pointed out, 'HellPit' was Yami's own personal name for this torturous dimension. It might have had some other, proper name, but the nickname described it just fine. It wasn't like Yami hadn't had **plenty** of time to come up with it, after all…

Yami choked down a noise that was something like a cross between a whimper and a gurgle, the idea of spending another five thousand years - oh gods, or **more!** - in this place filling him with deep, dark dread. The HellPit granted a perverse form of immortality - that was why it the platforms for opening it had been made in the first place - by preventing anyone inside it from aging or needing food and water.

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There was a catch, of course - once you were inside, you couldn't get back out unless someone summoned you. Seto - bastard, bastard! - had claimed that he was going to use this - back during the first time, when he had taken great relish in explaining it - because it would have dishonored the priesthood for any of the so-called '**untainted**' blood remaining in Yami's veins to be spilled, including through death in any way. Leaving Yami alone inside a freezing and lightless void for the rest of eternity was supposed to be **better**.

…And now he was back…the fates were **insane**, Yami just **knew** it. The mage-demon was back to full power, but what was the point?

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Last time, he'd spent the first couple of hundred years trying to find a way out, ANY way out, but failed. The rest of the time, Yami had sunk into a sort of stupor, occasionally rousing long enough for maybe a year's worth of frenzied breakout attempts, every five hundred years or so…Yami had a fairly good sense for time, even inside such a place as the HellPit…

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…Maybe it was an aftereffect of the seal or something, but Yami thought there might be something different going on this time. Something felt different…Yami raised his right hand and inspected the injured wrist. It looked…

…But…wait…how could he possibly SEE?

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Yami twisted around - he, like everything else, floated inside the HellPit, since there was no ground or direction - and gaped like a fish tossed onto the bank of the river.

Completely unnoticed behind him until this very moment, a very confused Yugi was trying to figure out which direction was up. Failing that, he started trying to swim, but was unable to move anywhere…then the boy looked up, realizing he was being watched, and spotted Yami staring at him.

"Um…" Yugi looked embarrassed, "Uh…sorry, I guess. Not much of a rescue, huh?"

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Yami was very shocked that Yugi was now, like himself, one of the Hellpit's eternal victims, but even that was being crushed under the weight of Yami's sheer stupefaction. This was for one simple reason:

"…You're…_glowing_…" Yami blinked, unable to process it.

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Yugi blinked, looked at himself properly, and yelped. Apparently, he hadn't noticed, but now every exposed piece of skin on Yugi's body was glowing like a bright white bonfire had been lit inside of his body. Not that much of it was exposed, but as far as Yami's demonic vision was concerned, Yugi was a sun in this pitch-black place.

"_Wow_…" Yugi said, examining his hands carefully for some kind of explanation, rolling up his sleeves a little to see that, yes, his whole body was emitting light, "How did THAT happen, do you think?"

"No idea," Yami said, still staring.

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Apparently not as fascinated, Yugi left off looking at himself and began renewing his attempts to move around. He and Yami were separated by a few feet of empty space, but since Yugi couldn't make an inch of headway, it might as well have been a canyon.

"Can you stretch out? Maybe you can pull me over or something," Yugi asked, his tone clearly showing worry at Yami's weird stillness.

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Shaking his head roughly - wasn't there going to be **plenty** of time to think about this later? - Yami tried stretching out a hand, but they were still too far apart. Maybe he should stick out a foot, Yami's legs were a little longer than his arms - but his legs were still tied with rope, unnoticed.

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Getting an idea, Yami awkwardly untied himself, trying hard not to rip the rope apart. Untied, it was over twice as long as was needed. It was almost amusing, reeling Yugi in. The boy certainly seemed to find it amusing, but as soon as they were in arms reach of each other, Yugi insisted they tie their wrists together with the rope, so that they wouldn't have to worry about accidentally drifting away from each other in the future.

That reminded Yami of their current predicament, and Yugi noticed the mage-demon's depressed expression as soon as it was visible.

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"Don't look so down," Yugi said, "I mean, if there's a way into this place, then there's got to be a way out! Right?" 

"…If there is," Yami said flatly, not meeting Yugi's eyes, "I haven't found it. And I had plenty of time to look the last time I was sealed here."

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"You were trapped in here before?"

If Yami had looked at Yugi, he would have seen that the mortal boy was watching him with a mixture of sorrow and pity, something that would have disgusted him on any other face at any other time. But Yami was remembering his last time in the HellPit, and figured talking was the only thing you could do, if you were lucky enough to be stuck here with someone else.

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"Until a few months ago," Yami admitted, "I had been in here for about five thousand years."

"What!" Yugi exclaimed, "I mean - how? You don't look more than a year or two older than I am."

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Yami almost felt amused as he replied, "In this place, time freezes. As long as you are here, you will not age a day until you leave."

"That's not the only thing freezing," Yugi shivered, rubbing his arms for warmth, "I know refrigerators preserve stuff by being cold, but this is ridiculous! Aren't you cold, Yami?" 

Yami thought about this for a moment. He'd stop thinking about it a long time ago, but yes, actually…this might be only a little frosty for Yugi's home's climate, but it had always been bitterly cold for someone from Yami's.

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"You get used to it," Yami said evasively.

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The way he and Yugi were oriented now, Yami was in a sort of 'sitting' position, his legs horizontal and bent, while Yugi was sort of 'standing'. With a sharp, "Well, even if _you're_ not, I am," Yugi attempted to sit on Yami's legs.

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As the annoyed human found himself floating off in seconds, Yami blinked, "What are you doing?" 

"I'm cold," Yugi said, speaking with a perfectly straight face, "And you're going to share some body heat with me."

Realizing how that might have sounded, Yugi blushed and added, "Err…if its okay, I mean…"

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While Yami tried to process this, Yugi tried sitting down again, with identical results. After the third failed attempt, Yami thought he was about to suggest they stay as close to each other as possible. His arm, however, had other plans, and it summarily hooked itself around Yugi, pulling the boy over and holding him in place so he didn't float back to the end of their rope tether.

If there had been gravity, Yugi would have been officially sitting on Yami's lap. However, this was the next best thing, and Yami could feel heat in his face - but that was because he was blushing brightly. Yugi was blushing too.

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'…It's like holding a cat,' Yami told himself, 'Think of a cat! A warm, furry cat…with really nice smelling hair - _not again!_'

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"Well…" Yugi hesitated, "This is a way to do this, I guess…you're okay with this, Yami?"

"…If its okay with you, it is with me," Yami voiced, not meeting Yugi's gaze exactly.

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For a couple of minutes, there was an awkward silence. This position was very comfortable, and after a bit, Yugi decided they needed some kind of distraction.

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"So…" began the boy.

"…What is it?" Yami asked, curiosity rising a little when Yugi trailed off.

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Yugi turned his head so that he could see Yami's face and, chewing his lip for a second, blurted out, "We heard - I mean - from the corner, when he was…um…"

Gathering his thoughts as quickly as he could, Yugi finally put his thought into words.

"How did it happen, Yami?"

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Yami blinked.

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"…Can you be a little more specific?"

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Yugi swallowed.

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"That guy - the one with the knife, that you called Seto…"

"What about him?" Yami asked, his voice flat once more.

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"He said…that…you weren't originally…"

His discomfort fighting tooth and nail with his curiosity, Yugi made an inarticulate gesture. But Yami knew what he was asking.

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"I thought I heard someone else in the room," Yami remarked, his voice calm enough to surprise even himself, "So, you know that I used to be…"

What word should he use? Human? Normal?

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"You said before, that you used to look more like me than you do now," Yugi said, "That was before you became a demon, wasn't it?"

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"…It was."

"…So, how did it happen?"

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Yami thought about brushing Yugi off - metaphorically and literally - but the thought only lasted a split-second. He'd kept it hidden long enough. Yami cleared his throat.

"Well…I guess it first began a long time ago, when I was very young…"


	46. 46

Yep, I'm mean and evil.

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MEAN AND EVIL PPL UNITE!

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Or whatever. Go read the fic already!

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Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh

Claimer: I own whats I invented for this hur fic!

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…  
…

_He knew there was _something_ wrong with being what he was, but what would a six-year-old care of politics? The lastborn son of a second son's second son, Yami was as uninvolved in the politics of Egypt as it was possible for someone of royal blood to be._

_Perhaps, if there was some unbelievable massacre amongst his elder uncles and cousins, Yami might have been presented with the winged crown of the Pharaoh…well over fifty men would have to go, but that many and more had been killed for less in the past, hadn't they? Of course, Seto liked thinking about that far more than Yami ever could._

_And what Seto REALLY liked to talk about were the ancient events he was learning about in the priesthood, and ghastly rituals with lots of blood seemed to be his favorite. Kind of disturbing for a seven-year-old bent on claiming the title of High Priest of the Pharaoh's Court, but Yami's elder half-cousin was strange and stubborn enough to try anyway. Yami wished him nothing but success._

_As for Yami himself, he was useless. And he LIKED being useless. Useless boys got to make themselves more useful by going out into the public streets and making friends with the merchants and peasants._

(Yami's father, feeling especially bitter one night, had told him all about the choices Yami had for his future.)

_A useless son of the nobility could become VERY useful if he was a friend to many people who weren't noble-blooded at all. After all, most of those noble-blooded people depended on the un-noble ones to keep themselves living in their comfortable lives. If the merchants and peasants decided that a nobleman was really and truly bad, they could make his life completely_ **miserable**.

_So Yami spent his childhood wandering around the town, talking to the children and trying to make them like him, just as his father wanted. They sometimes made fun of his hair_ (spiked in three colors - what was wrong with that?) _but they also let Yami play with them._

_But Yami didn't become very popular, because they liked to play lots of games, and he ALWAYS won. The first time, this was a problem, and some of the peasant parents got angry at him. They had thought he was cheating, but now they had gotten used to it._

_THEY liked Yami; he was such a polite, caring child - oh, and wasn't he the son of the local magistrate? Treating him nicely might lead to good things in the future. It was more politics after all. So, Yami had people to play with, but he didn't have any real friends - none of those loyal friends that stayed by your side forever and ever _(Or so Father had said). _And those were what Yami wanted - no more faking friends, and definitely no more creepy Setos._

_That was when Yami met Bakurah._

_…  
…_

_Father had always said to stay on the main roads near the markets. The edges of the city were full of riffraff and criminals who would enjoy making even a useless nobleman's son disappear. If he ever found out that Yami had decided to explore the slums, Father said, he'd give Yami the worst punishment of his entire life._

_And Yami was a good son, so he never went there. The slums had to come to HIM first, and they did - in the form of a strange, pale-haired figure who nearly killed Yami by running into him._

"Oww!" Yami groaned, holding his aching head.

"Watch where you're going, idiot!" growled the stranger, who was rubbing his own head, "Is your brain fulla bricks or donkey shit?"

"You ran into me!" Yami protested, unused to being the receiving end of such verbal abuse.

_Yami soon learned that it was time to _**get**_ used to it, as the strange boy leapt to his feet and promptly rattled off a whole string of words that Yami didn't understand - beyond the fact that swearing like THAT made elderly people puke their guts up._

"And 'cause you were stupid and got in my way," the strange boy suddenly declared, interrupting his own rant to take in Yami's slightly-better-than-average wardrobe, "You oughta give me something. An apology gift sounds good. You'd better make it lots'n'lots of gold."

"What?"

_Now Yami wasn't sure he if was hearing things correctly._

"You hit me, and you're obviously well-off enough to pay for it…"

_The strange boy started looking rather menacingly down at the still-seated Yami. It suddenly occurred to Yami that they were alone in a deserted alleyway, with no adults in sight, and that he might even be in some danger._

_But there was something else that was occurring to Yami as well, a kind of sudden, impulsive idea, and since he was a six-year-old boy, Yami decided that impulse-decision making was the way to go._

"You hit your brain so hard it made you really stupid," Yami said, getting to his own feet and calmly dusting himself off, "Now go away."

_The strange boy frowned, not liking this at all. Why wasn't this little freak scared of him?_

"Oh yeah? Well, YOU hit YOUR brain so hard it turned into _camel piss_," the strange boy retorted, "Don't you know who you're dealing with? I am the great masterful thief Bakurah, and if you don't give me what I asked nicely for, I'll take it from you the nasty an' painful way! Now pay up!"

_Yami stuck his tongue out._

"Make me!"

"You asked for it!" 'Bakurah' yelled.

_With a semi-mighty battle cry, Bakurah jumped towards his prey, assuming this little merchant brat would be no challenge at all for him. He'd been fighting other boys for most of his six or seven years _(there no way to be sure) _and was very confident in himself when it came to fights._

_Bakurah's unshakable self-confidence was more than a little rattled when his supposedly weak prey more than held its own through hard kicks, much hair-pulling, and biting. Bakurah quickly resorted to doing the same thing, and the whirling, snarling mess of Yami and Bakurah made its own way up the alley in no time flat._

_…  
…_

"You stupid ASS," Bakurah complained, "You LEFT one of your stupid ass TEETH in my ARM! _OW!_"

_Yami merely grinned cheekily back at him, missing tooth and what promised to become a nice black eye prominent. Actually, both boys looked rather worse for wear. After almost fifteen minutes of trying to rip each other apart, both combatants, exhausted from the struggle, agreed to a temporary truce. Bakurah was currently poking a crescent-shaped mark near his shoulder, trying to get the offending tooth out before the blood went hard._

"Stupid little bastard," Bakurah said once the tooth was out, "You probably waited around in those stupid clothes, just to trick me! Well, you can't fool the kind of great and masterful thief that I am with such a stupid plan!"

"You're kind of an idiot," Yami replied calmly, "Did you know that?"

"Oh, WOW," Bakurah said, completely sarcastic, "I DIDN'T! PLEASE, tell me MORE!"

_Yami glared at him. Who knew it was possible for someone his own age to be so completely stupid? No longer interested in having anything to do with this freak, Yami got up and walked away. He didn't go very far, though - he had to think of some way to explain to his father that he had gotten into a fight. It would be awful for Father to punish him for something not even his fault!_

_Not long afterwards, an apple flew towards Yami. It landed safely in his lap, and Yami blinked as the crazy Bakurah sat down next to him, chewing on another apple._

"Guh'wan, eat it," Bakurah grumbled, "You're lucky that I'm so nice, you little bastard."

_Frowning, Yami bit into his apple. It was a very good apple, and he wondered what Bakurah was up to._

"I'm not going to apologize for biting you, just because you bought me an apple," Yami made a point of saying.

"Good, 'cause I never bought no apple for you," Bakurah grunted.

_Yami hesitated._

"How'd you get it, then?" he challenged.

_Bakurah rolled his eyes._

"Your head is so full of crap its unbelievable - I said I was a thief twice already! Idiot."

_Yami continued eating his apple, now going about it a little more thoughtfully. That made sense - and it meant that Yami wasn't doing something bad by eating this apple. He certainly hadn't stolen it, and besides, it was just an apple._

"Why are you a thief?" Yami asked, curiosity aroused.

_Bakurah blinked. Apparently, he hadn't really thought about that much before. _Then, with a fiendish grin - only slightly diminished by his bruised and battered features - the pale-haired boy said "'Cause I'm the best there is at being a thief, of course! What else would I be, with this amazing talent of mine? And one day, I'll be the best thief there ever was!"

Y_ami was almost actually impressed. Bakurah had a really interesting thing going for him - but then he ruined things by giving Yami a condescending pat on the head._

"You're a little crazy weirdo freak kid," Bakurah said, "But you fight pretty good. Wanna be my thieving assistant?"

"Your **what?**" Yami blinked.

"See, when I become King of all the Thieves in the World," Bakurah explained, as if sharing a delightful secret, "I'm gonna have so much gold, you wouldn't believe it. And I need somebody to carry it all, so that's what YOU can do!"

"I don't wanna carry your stupid gold! That's so stupid!" Yami complained.

"Hey, hey," Bakurah said, still smirking as he patted Yami on the head again, "Listen, little bastard, I'm older than you are, so just listen to me and you'll learn a lot. I mean, I guess you must think you're the smartest four-year-old around - OW! FUCKING HELL, BASTARD!"

_Bakurah was swearing because the second the words 'four-year-old' had entered the conversation, Yami had jumped Bakurah, kicking him fiercely as he yanked hard down on Bakurah's long pale hair._

"I AM NOT FOUR! I'M JUST A LITTLE SMALL FOR MY AGE!" Yami shrieked - _this was what Seto-creep always teased him about and he wasn't about to take it from some kid his own age!_

_With much swearing, the fight started up again. Inexplicably, a strange relationship had also begun…_

…

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"…And I **don't** see what was so funny," Yami mentioned, watching his little mortal look-alike trying and failing to keep his laughter concealed.

Yugi faltered, taking in the seriously-not-amused look on Yami's face…before spontaneously bursting out into giggles again.

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"S-Sorry," Yugi managed, after taking another five minutes to get himself back under control, "But - I never imagined you'd turn out to be that kind of little - that kind of little brat!"

Yami frowned, then rolled his eyes and sighed. Normally, he would have stalked away to go brood over this utter/okay-maybe-not-so-very-utter humiliation…but stalking anywhere was still impossible in the HellPit, and besides, he was actually starting to feel properly warm for the first time in five thousand years.

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"Okay, I'm good. We can keep going now," Yugi said, "So, you met Bakura - and wait, he was human _too?_ I mean, you didn't see a tiny demon, did you?"

"Sometimes I'd thought I had," Yami grumbled, "He always was a selfish bastard."

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Yugi looked like he was considering contesting this, then decided to wait on it. Instead, he stretched slightly in his 'seat' - still being held close to Yami - and said, "So, you met Bakura…what happened next?"

Thinking of what came next, Yami's frown deepened, before he opened his mouth to speak.

…  
…


	47. 47

Okay, okay, fine! Sheesh, I leave you guys with one little cliffhanger...

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HAH! And you all thought I was dead, didn't you!

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Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh

Claimer: I own the made-up stuff what I invented!

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_…  
…_

_Years pass. A useless nobleman's son becomes the next in the line of useless noblemen earlier than expected. A half-mad monster becomes a powerful holy man. And an utter fiend in disguise turns out to be the best friend you could ask for._

_In a sense, Yami was more useless as an adult then he'd ever been as a small child. Father had died, old and bitter, but the job of magistrate was too important to give to a practically half-feral boy. Instead, it had moved to his eldest sister's husband. Being the brother-in-law of the magistrate wasn't nearly as interesting as being the magistrate's _darling_ son, and most of the common folk wanted little to do with Yami anymore._

_Seto was a powerful priest, well versed in the most ancient of rituals, and one of a small pool of possible candidates for High Priest. Every temple had a High Priest in charge, but the High Priest of the Court was the most important, and Seto had a very good chance of being named the next in line for that very prominent position._

_As always, Yami was perfectly happy that Seto's lifelong dream was going to come true. When you know your own worth well enough not to dream for yourself, the dreams of others are precious enough._

_Bakurah's own dream was practically true already. He was one of the most powerful thieves in the area - Bakurah the Jackal, they were already starting to call him - and he might become one of the most famous in the country in less than a decade._

_Certainly, Bakurah's exploits were quite daring and dangerous - he had a special fondness for breaking through the most powerful and cunning magical traps the priests could create. Because of that, Bakurah's favorite targets were less and less the tombs of ancient kings and nobles, and more often the fabulous temples of the priesthood instead._

_On occasion, Bakurah would bother, whine, and provoke Yami into coming along on one of his little 'shopping trips', much to the latter's annoyance. Yami was still short enough to avoid most attention, and Bakurah liked to insinuate how much Yami would LOVE life as his thieving assistant, but Yami was not stupid._

_Bakurah was a necromancer. Yami had learned this fact about his sort-of-friend several years back, and it was a special compact with the gods that the necromancer had made which protected Bakurah when he pillaged tombs. Yami had no such pact to protect his soul, though Bakurah had _graciously _offered to apprentice him in the death arts._

_Without having a purpose or goal in life, Yami found he could learn many interesting things. The royal line had powerful magic as part of their lineage, and Yami was learning what he could do through trial-and-error, thrice-removed as he was from the line. Also, many wise craftsmen and proven warriors enjoyed explaining the details of their skills, the nuances of their crafts…especially when the listener was willing to do more than a little work, for hours or even days, in payment for the information._

_Yen was one of those. The old master magismith was as proud of the work put into his creations as the power those creations had given him in battle. Being a smith, Yen's magic naturally specialized in fire, and his pride and joy was a great orange-colored broadsword that burned with a powerful flame within._

_It was a strange friendship, made odd by the difference in their ages and perspectives, but Yen was straightforward and honest. It was from Yen that Yami learned of the deteriorating situation of the royal family, something he had thought would never concern him._

_But the moon was cloaked in blood one night - the night that the old Pharaoh was murdered._

_…_

Yami paused for a moment, thinking about those long-ago events. Yugi, totally caught up in the story, squirmed in his seat and looked like he was trying to hide his impatience with the delay.

'Cute…' murmured Yami's treacherous brain.

"Well?" Yugi finally said.

Yugi was glaring - it looked odd on the boy, very alien on his normally bright features. Yami sighed to himself and turned back to the story. It didn't get very pretty after this point…

_…  
…_

_The old Pharaoh - a great-great-uncle or something of Yami's whose name he had never remembered and whose face he would never recognize - hadn't been old when he had died. As was to be expected, the man had had a few wives, but there had been no push for him to sire an heir._

_No more than a few generations back this would have seemed very strange, as every Pharaoh had done his best to sire at least three or four sons. Of course, there HAD been a great war going on at the time, and those Pharaohs had lead their armies themselves._

_By now the sons of those sons had children of their own, and every single one of them was equally qualified to be named the new Pharaoh. In honor of the previous Pharaoh, the new Pharaoh was not to be _officially_ named until after the funeral, but suddenly _EVERYONE_ was interested in playing at politics. The streets rang with rumors, and Yami was made suddenly aware of his own precarious link to the throne._

_In a way, he was still safe. Yami was a few extra degrees farther out than most of his relatives, and so was less likely to be a choice. In a moment of concern, Yami made the mistake of asking Seto for his advice. Seto, quite predictably, thought Yami was insane for even _considering_ any desire to not be chosen. Seto was the only child of Yami's mother's brother and his second wife, two and a half further degrees out than Yami himself, but since Seto was a well-known and liked public figure, even the priest's chances for the throne were better than Yami's._

_Bakurah thought the whole thing was insanely funny._

_The day after the funeral, the whole country held its breath, waiting to hear who the next chosen Pharaoh would be. But the decision, which was to be made by a council of the most important people of the royal court, was unexpectedly delicate. They had to discover the identity of the Pharaoh's murderer, and because no one could decide which was more important, there was no decision made._

_After the first week, tensions stretched to the breaking point. One of the older, higher ranked members of the family vanished, and it was widely speculated that he had been chosen and was being prepared for his new role._

_Then it was learned than the man had been accidentally killed during an argument with another cousin. They had been arguing over whether the children of so-and-so (a third cousin) had a good chance for the throne, and which of the five might have the best chance…but as the argument progressed, both their tempers had gotten out of line, and…_

_It was like the start of a race. Cousins found any excuse to fight and 'accidentally' incapacitate each other, and at least four more were killed before the next week was out. Instead of making a decision and putting an end to the competition, the council _adjourned_, wanting to wait for the anger to settle before making their decision when any _**fool** _would have known it would only make things that much worse._

_As for the rest of the country, it suddenly occurred to the common folk that they very well might have a kin-slayer taking the throne, and there was a great deal of unrest._

_Yami went looking for help. _

_Yen, completely serious, offered to take Yami as his apprentice. A magismith's apprentice would be bound by a serious magical contract, and not even a god coming down into the marketplace and declaring that one the new Pharaoh would break it. Yen was an honest soul, with no family of his own, and didn't want the current insanity to drag down someone he particularly liked._

_Yami told Yen he would consider it, and went to the only other person whose opinion he valued. Not that he would ever let that person _know. _The annoying idiot's ego was large and annoying enough without any extra inflation._

_Much to Yami's own surprise, Bakurah listened to the whole thing with a quietly somber expression._

"Actually…"

The thief hesitated uncertainly, which was something else Yami had never seen him do before, before continuing, "There are…other options…that have recently come to my attention…

"And I didn't want to tell you only because I just **knew** you were going to get all fucking **pissy** about it," Bakurah added sharply, "You can barely take a lousy _nose ring_ without crying like a baby, so I figured you were too soft for this."

"What is this marvelous other option, then?" Yami asked, pointedly ignoring Bakurah's insults.

_Bakurah refused to say another word for a while, and it took all the prodding Yami could do to get those words out. Bakurah gave the smaller boy a pointedly 'Not Pleased' look and told him he'd live a while longer if he'd just mind his own damn business._

"Not at the rate my cousins are killing each other, I won't," Yami replied stubbornly, and Bakurah finally gave in with a sigh and a shrug.

"Just don't blame me later, you stupid little bastard."

…

"And then what happened?"

Yugi hesitated before asking, because Yami had stopped talking and now had a very dark look on his face. If his younger self were here right now, Yugi thought, Yami would probably chew him out for making whatever decision came next. Maybe asking Yami what happened wasn't such a great idea after all…

0

Suddenly, Yami blinked and looked surprised. He'd forgotten he was actually telling the story to someone - to Yugi - and had stopped talking, but the boy didn't look too upset.

"Does it bother you to remember?" Yugi asked, "I'm sorry if I made you remember something bad. You don't have to tell me anymore if you don't want to…"

For some reason, the heavy sinking weights that had taken the place of Yami's lungs seemed to grow lighter with those words. He shook his head.

"It's not my favorite memory," Yami admitted, "But I don't mind sharing it with you. Not really."

"You could just summarize it," Yugi said, still unwilling to push Yami towards more unhappy recollections, "I mean, everybody is allowed to have some secrets, aren't they? I don't want to take all of yours away…"

"…As you wish," Yami said, just a little bit relieved that he could pull his thoughts a little further away from those dark times.

0

"It so happened that about a week later, there was going to be an eclipse of the sun," Yami said.

_- unbidden in Yami's memory, the rumors that the gods themselves were taking the time to meet, to decide what must be done about the humans who had so suddenly gone completely _**crazy**_ -_

"Bakurah had found that many people, fearing the repercussions of serving a king whose hands were stained with the blood of his own family, wanted to get rid of the royal line entirely and start a new one. Only, one of those group had found the means to do so."

"What means?" Yugi asked, hesitantly.

He was right to be scared.

"They made a contract with a malignant spirit called the Shaded One," Yami said, "On the day of the eclipse, when the powers of the heavens would be at their weakest, the Shaded One would give his sworn and chosen servants the power to do what they thought must be done, the power to utterly destroy the kingdom if it became necessary. The ones who made this contract believed that the powers they were to receive would only be given to them temporarily, and that when the eclipse ended, the Shaded One would take his gifts back."

0

"But…oh. They…weren't, were they?"

A pause.

"No, they weren't."

……


	48. 48

I've said it before(albeit somewhere else and about something **completely** different), and I'll say it again.

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I apologize for NOTHING!

_Muwahahahahahaha!_

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Disclaimer: See last chapter, fool

Claimer: Ditto, fool

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…  
…

How long had they been stuck in here? Yugi didn't have a watch, but if this place was as timeless as Yami said, then it probably wouldn't be working now anyway.

Yugi might have considered asking Yami if he had any way of telling how much time had passed, but he had barely formed the thought inside his head before shoving it away. Yami already looked depressed enough from telling his story, any other reminders of how they were stuck in this freezing dark place would only make things worse.

Besides, Yugi was an optimist. He was absolutely certain that the two of them wouldn't be stuck in this place forever. Yami had gotten out once already, and Yugi had learned in science class about the way probability worked. The odds were always better for something to happen if it had already happened at least once.

Yami, for his part, was asleep. At least, he sounded asleep, and Yugi didn't want to turn around and check on the off chance that the demon WAS asleep and that he'd wake Yami up by accident. Yami deserved a good rest anyway. Not that the stubborn guy would ever admit it, but this whole mess was wearing him out.

Putting a hand to his mouth, Yugi stifled what would have been a completely inappropriate giggle. _Poor Yami_ - now those were two words Yami would be appalled to hear used!

Yugi turned his attention to his hand, wanting to get his mind on a different subject. He'd purposely tried not to focus on this new twist of weirdness, but there it was, plain as day - now he was Yugi, the Living Lightbulb! He didn't really feel any different, but then why was he glowing?

'Maybe people normally glow in this place,' Yugi thought.

It made sense, sort of - although Yugi wouldn't swear to it, Yami's body had seemed to be outlined in some kind of bright haze at first glance in here. It was too hard to tell, now that they had been pressed together for so long. However long it really was.

'Maybe the longer you stay in here, the less glow you have,' Yugi thought.

That made sense too. But maybe it was completely wrong - maybe it was only for humans.

But Yami was still half human, wasn't he? That 'Hauru' demon who'd been after him the whole time had thought so - he'd been laughing at Yami because he was half-human.

Yugi didn't like how cruel Hauru had been.

Well sure, Yami didn't seem to like the fact that he'd been human once, but what gave anyone the right to laugh at other people anyway? Yugi had come to realize, just a few months ago, that he really disliked how people could be whenever they '_followed their basest instincts_'. Since when was spite an instinct, anyway?

Back when he, Honda, and Jou had first become friends, his two former bullies had accused Yugi of being 'indecently nice' . Honda had brought it up again more recently - when Yami had first appeared at school - and had declared the newcomer an '_evil clone of indecent niceness!_'

...Why did the two of them look so alike? Counting the generations that must have passed, over the five thousand years Yami had been sealed away, the odds of them being related were microscopic, and even if they were, it wouldn't make them look almost identical!

'We could be twins, but we're almost completely different,' Yugi mused, 'He's kinda moody, and I'm not. He's got magic, and I don't - well, I THINK I don't. Even though that thing with the necklace was pretty strange. Also, he likes to fight, and I hate fighting.'

0

A new thought bubbled slowly to the top of Yugi's mind. He was the complete opposite of Yami…but it didn't feel _bad_ to him for Yami to be that way, the way it felt bad for everyone else he saw.

It was almost…was almost like Yami's behavior was scratching an itch Yugi had, an itch Yugi couldn't get to and couldn't feel. Not that Yugi felt all that itchy, but that same feeling of…maybe 'happiness' was too strong a word, it was more like 'contentment'.

Whatever it was, it was the same feeling you got from finally being able to reach a particularly uncomfortable spot. And Yami, who seemed to have been angry and sad and alone for so long, had almost magically become far less stressed whenever Yugi had seen him recently. Maybe he was scratching some of Yami's itches too?

0

No, that was stupid. This was a stupid analogy - it was a stupid topic, and Yugi searched for something else to focus on, something that wasn't so obviously a stupid idea. Like…what was that hard, box-like thing he thought he felt pressing into his leg?

It turned out to be an actual box. The box was inside of a pocket of Yami's jacket, but Yugi was pretty sure - he HOPED he was pretty sure - that Yami wouldn't mind if he just looked. Only a peek, for curiosity's sake!

The box was made of gold. How odd! There was a vaguely familiar eye-shape engraved into its lid and front side. Yugi wondered what Yami could possibly keeping inside a golden box like this one.

The golden box, unlike anything else in this creepy place, didn't try to float away when Yugi set it down on his legs. It clung to Yugi like he was a magnet or something, even. Determined to only have one little peek, Yugi took off the lid, and gasped.

It was a golden puzzle! Not a single piece had been fit together, but still…WOW!

…


	49. 49

Yosh yosh! As some of you may have noticed, the chapter-order-screwup is no more! Once again, this fic is slightly readable!

As for any questions/smarmy comments about why I didn't fix the spacing and stuff on the older chapters while I had the chance (c'mon, admit it, you were wondering, weren't you?), I left you all a little note in Chapter 29, which had to be completely reuploaded after accidentally getting deleted during said chapter reorganization.

Time for fic now!

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Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh

Claimer: I own the stuff what I invented!

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…

Yami slowly stirred, not quite certain how or when he'd dozed off in the first place. The biting chill reminded him swiftly enough, and afterwards he only felt embarrassed that he had actually fallen asleep at all. Inside the Hellpit, one didn't…you didn't simply _nod off_ like that.

All this close contact with Yugi must be turning him stupid.

Speaking of the mortal, Yami felt vaguely surprised that Yugi hadn't noticed that his only companion inside the Hellpit had fallen asleep on him. Or maybe he had: Yugi might have decided to let him sleep, the boy was surprisingly thoughtful for his level of maturity. That was part of his appeal…

In fact, Yugi seemed to have found something else to occupy his time with. Yami could distinctly hear the sound of metal clinking against metal, as Yugi fiddled with something with such concentration that the mage-demon's return to consciousness had passed him by completely. But what in the world could Yugi have found in **here** to amuse himself with, let alone anything made of what sounded like many small, metallic pieces…?

Unless -!

Abandoning any pretense of subtlety, Yami straightened up and peered over Yugi's shoulder. Trickier than it sounded, what with the lack of gravity plus Yugi's hair, but just as Yami had thought, resting on Yugi's lap was a _very_ much opened golden box, the small golden pieces inside being energetically examined and tested against each other.

By all rights, Yami should have been utterly furious. Not just furious - he should have been outraged, he should have been **enraged** - but he didn't feel anything like that at all. A curious numbness seemed to have settled into his brain during his nap, all the more curious for the fact that Yami had been shocked into numbness more than once in his life and while those times the lethargy had been almost painful, this feeling was…strange.

Not better and not worse - just strange. Different.

Maybe it was because he was the only one to ever handle the treasure inside this particular box before. He was the only one who had ever done so, maybe the only who _could_, but…

Yugi blinked and turned his gaze away from the golden puzzle pieces in his hands, apparently sensing that he had an audience for his actions. After the few seconds that it took Yugi to register who exactly was watching him passed, the mortal turned bright red with embarrassment.

"Sorry - I shouldn't - I was just - I mean - sorry, sorry!" Yugi yelped.

Anything else he would have babbled, Yami was able to cut off by simply reaching over with his free hand and gently taking hold of one of Yugi's wrists. Yugi had been in the process of stuffing all the pieces back in the box as quickly as he could, hoping not to make Yami any more upset than he already was - but Yami wasn't, not really, and he made a point of mentioning it.

"…You're really not mad?" Yugi asked.

"I am not…though perhaps _next_ time you could ask for permission before you rummage around in my pockets," Yami said, still a little surprised himself that he was taking this so well.

Yugi had the decency to blush again, and apologized twice more. There was a moment of silence before Yugi spoke again.

"Um…why do you have this golden-puzzle-thing anyway, Yami?"

Hmm. What should he say?

"And do you know why it looks a little like that golden wand-thing that that Seto guy had with him? The one that…um…"

**Crap.** Yugi had seen something he was better off never knowing about…but what exactly had he seen? Hauru's brutal execution, quite likely. But had he seen the girl's death as well? Yami hoped not.

"You mean this mark, correct?" Yami asked in reply, releasing his grip on Yugi's wrist to pick out one of the largest pieces in the box. The one that had always seemed to **stare** at him.

"Yeah," Yugi said, "That eyeball-thing. It's kinda weird."

Yami actually had to force down a snort of amusement. Yen would have ranted himself into a heart attack after hearing that such an ancient symbol had been reduced to the status of being '_kinda weird_'.

"That shape is known as a Sennen," Yami explained, "It is a very old symbol, and is involved with very old magic. This particular object once belonged to an ancient sect known as the Guardians of the Twelve Hours of Night. They were known for having very powerful dark magic."

"Oh," Yugi said, apparently not very impressed, "What happened to them?"

"No one knows," Yami said, "They just disappeared one day, leaving behind several powerful artifacts, which were kept and guarded by the priesthood for the next thousand years."

"If that's the case, I can see how that Seto guy has one - he was a priest, right?"

When Yami nodded, Yugi continued, "But how did you get one?"

Yami was about to open his mouth and explain exactly how - **damn** Bakurah for being so **damn** persuasive about paying the priesthood's secret vaults a little _visit_ - but Yugi was already tracking back to what Yami had said before, and exclaimed "Wait - when you said you and Bakura…was that…?"

Yugi took Yami's sigh of disgust for his younger self's choice in friends as an affirmative - which it was - and laughed. Annoyed, though he wasn't certain what exactly was setting him off, Yami was quick to point out that it wasn't like the priests knew that the treasures were there at the time, since no one had ever understood how they worked anyway, and this one especially couldn't even be handled by anyone else - at least not usually…

"Weird," Yugi shrugged, "But I do have a thing for puzzles, and this is a magic puzzle…isn't it? I couldn't get any of the pieces to fit together before, so I wasn't entirely sure."

"It's called the Millennium Puzzle, and yes, it is a true puzzle," Yami said, "But I'm not surprised you couldn't solve it. I was never able to fit any of the pieces together myself."

"That's so stupid," Yugi said flatly, "I mean, what's the point of have a puzzle with no solution? All puzzles have solutions. Just look at this."

Yugi fished through the pieces inside the box, picking one out and holding next the piece with the Sennen that Yami was still holding out.

"This piece and the piece you've got should fit together, right? It's stupid if they don't go where they are supposed to go," Yugi said, pressing the pieces together in demonstration.

The pieces connected smoothly, with the distinct 'click' of metal-against-metal. At that same instant, Yami felt something almost like a bolt of lightning hit him, almost **stab** him through his whole body and more. It practically scared him straight out of his skin, and the sudden jerking and squeaking on Yugi's part told the mage-demon that he wasn't the only one.

…


	50. 50

Damn, its been a month since my last update! Stupid college, stupid work, stupid stupid!

Well, I hope I didn't kill any of you with the long wait (people seeming to prefer fics with low reader mortality rates and all) but the wait has ended!

...Which will in no way keep me from taking forever to post the NEXT chapter...

Ah, phooey.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh

Claimer: I own alls the stuff I makes up!

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…

It was a LONG while before either of them wanted to try putting any of the Millennium Puzzle's pieces together again. Even the most thorough (or frantic) review of the sensation provided no explanation as to where it had come from or whether it would happen again.

The really disturbing part was that, on some level, it had almost felt pleasurable to Yami's well-trained senses. What it had felt like to Yugi, the mage-demon didn't know, nor did he want to ask.

It might have been hours later when Yugi spoke again.

"Do…um…Yami, do you think…"

"Hmm?"

"…Maybe we should…do you think we should try to put the pieces together again?"

Yugi wanted to do it again?

"You want to do it again?" Yami asked.

"Well…it _could_ have just been a one-time thing. And, I don't know if it was painful for you, but it really wasn't for me. Just…kinda weird. And unexpected. But it won't be if it happens again…does that make sense?"

It certainly sounded perfectly reasonable when Yugi explained it like that. However, when Yugi tried to pull the two connected pieces apart, in order to recombine them again, the metal refused to separate. If not for the clearly visible line between them, it was as if it had always been a single large piece of metal. When Yugi tried to combine two different pieces together, the metal refused to come together at all, the same as every previous attempt.

"We were each holding a piece last time," Yugi reasoned from this, "Maybe that's why neither of us could get it before - this puzzle needs to be solved by two people at the same time, how weird!"

"You may be right," Yami said, taking hold of one of the two pieces Yugi had been holding up.

When pressed together, the pieces connected with a click. Yami had been anticipating the strange feeling blasting through him again, but instead it came far more gradually and gently the second time. And this time it definitely felt good. There was no doubt in Yami's mind that the feeling was the work of magic. It was there as an incentive perhaps, to insure that whoever tried to solve the Millennium Puzzle wouldn't quit halfway through.

"That was…" Yugi trailed off, trying to fit his thoughts into words.

"Strange?" Yami offered.

"Yami, the whole world has gotten very strange at this point, it needs a stronger word than that," Yugi replied, sounding almost amused.

"Actually, do you know what just occurred to me? Maybe this puzzle wants to be completed, and this feeling is the puzzle's happiness or something."

"Sometimes powerful magic does gain personalities," Yami agreed, "An artifact once belonging to the Twelve Guardians of Night would need to be very powerful indeed. Hmm, I suppose you will want to finish it now."

"Of course," Yugi said, "Besides, what about this? If this puzzle is going to be so powerful, maybe we can use it to get back home!"

Of all the…Yami wanted to slap himself. Very hard. It was so obvious, so simple! He really WAS turning completely stupid!

"And how long ago did you get this idea?" Yami asked, hoping his voice sounded less self-recriminatory to Yugi then it did to himself.

"Only a few minutes," Yugi replied, "And I since I wasn't sure, I didn't want to bring it up."

0

Yami and Yugi worked on the puzzle. It was a little awkward at first, as Yami only had one hand free and the box of pieces was rather small, but within five minutes they had connected two more pieces. The jolt that hit them was similar to the second surge, sudden and not unpleasant. Once Yami and Yugi got a bit better at coordination, another two pieces were connect, and then two more.

Yami almost refused to keep working on the puzzle after four surges had raced through his body. Now the feeling was starting to get very…strange, for lack of a better word. It felt almost like the surges were pulling at him, drawing him out and binding him to something that was outside himself, and even the very thought of such manipulation was invasive. The intrusion only got more defined with the next surge.

"What's wrong?" Yugi asked, pausing as he noticed Yami's obvious discomfort.

"I feel…uncomfortable," Yami replied, his eyes gazing into the distance as he reached inward, trying to figure out exactly what was happening.

"Oh…" Yugi hesitated, "Is it…does it seem like something's trying to reach inside you? It sort of feels like that to me, but…it actually feels like its okay, like its supposed to be there."

"It feels like it **wants** to be there. Whether is _should_ be or not is something different," Yami replied.

"Should we stop?" Yugi asked.

"…We need to get out of this place," Yami finally said, "As long as you feel you can continue, we should finish the puzzle."

"Okay," Yugi said, returning his attention to the Millennium Puzzle, "I think this next piece connects to these two we already put together."

Only a few pieces later, the pair of them were staring down an almost-complete Millennium Puzzle. The Sennen on the front looked up from the puzzle's seat in Yugi's cupped hands, the gold gleaming almost innocently. Yami was holding the last piece.

As for how he felt now…there was no way to explain this to anyone now. It was as if a fissure into fire had opened up inside Yami's body, in the exact size and shape and spot of his heart. It was throbbing in time to his heartbeat, almost painfully.

"Ready?" Yami asked.

Yugi nodded.

Yami pressed the last piece in. There was a curious moment when nothing happened, not even another of the jolts and surges that had happened every time before. The completed Millennium Puzzle rested in their hands, a cool metal weight.

Then it started to glow, brighter than any sun, and the power that burst out burned itself into Yami's very being, his soul…

…The next thing Yami felt was cold concrete underneath him and a painfully complete weariness…

…


	51. 51

Wow...lookit that! I'm posting a whole week after my last update!

It's a frigging miracle!

...Heh heh, yeah, don't ever expect this quick an update ever again.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh

Claimer: I own all the stuffs what I makes ups

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…

His head hurt.

His head hurt. The world was slowly swirling.

His head hurt. The world was slowly swirling. If he moved, he was going to be sick.

His head hurt. The world was slowly swirling. If he moved, he was going to be sick. The cold concrete beneath him and the warm body on top of him were almost comfortable this way.

His head hurt. The world was slowly swirling. If he moved, he was going to be sick. The cold concrete beneath him and the warm body on top of him were almost comfortable this way. Even though it was awkward to be half on harsh concrete and half sprawled over someone's body, it would really be too much trouble to move.

0

His head **really** hurt. How could you be underneath/on top of yourself and on top of/underneath yourself at the same time?

He pushed himself up, slowly, feeling his whole body protest. The pain was a welcome distraction from his confusing thoughts, anchoring his mind inside his own body and letting the other slide gently to the side - for now.

Hmm. They were in an alley now.

There were no _alleys_ in the _HellPit_ -

Alarmed, Yami pushed himself up, until he was resting on his knees. He would have gotten a lot farther than that, but his body was rebelling against the sudden movement and already Yami was leaning over, retching.

Throwing up seemed to help. At least he didn't feel like doing it again…once his stomach was done emptying itself - thank the gods he had forgone eating back at the hospital - Yami remained hutched over the puddle, debating on whether he had enough energy to fall away from his mess instead of just falling straight on top of it.

Hands were on his shoulder now, and there a voice in his ear was saying meaningless things, asking if he was all right and insisting that he sit back slowly, so as not to upset his stomach again…

Who was that? Oh, Yami realized, it was Yugi. Yami knew who that was.

"You aren't going throw up again, are you?" Yugi was asking now.

"I don't plan to," Yami replied, still feeling a bit light-headed, "But I doubt I should move."

"Smart doubt," Yugi said, "Are you going be okay?"

"Yes," Yami said, which was true - already he felt more like his old self.

"Good," Yugi muttered, apparently to himself, and began inspecting his surroundings.

There wasn't much to see. Aside from the concrete, the brick walls of decrepit buildings stretching into the distance, and Yami's puddle of vomit, there was nothing in this alley.

"How long were we gone, do you think?" Yugi wondered aloud.

Yami frowned slightly as he calculated the time inside his head. If he was right - which he generally was, of course - then it had been only…

"Less than a week, but more than a day," Yami hazarded.

"Oh," Yugi blinked, "Well, good! We need to go find the others as soon as possible - I hope they're all right."

"Hmm," Yami answered noncommittally.

He'd been almost right about the alley being bare, Yami realized. Sitting on the concrete just to the side was a small pyramid of gold. The metal loop on one end prevented the pyramid from resting properly, and its Sennen was pointed towards Yami and Yugi, a wary, staring eye.

Yami reached over and picked it up. It must be hollow for the gold to weigh so little…Yami's brain reoriented suddenly and he realized exactly what he was holding. So THIS was what the Millennium Puzzle looked like when it was completed! It was certainly impressive enough.

"Yeah, the Puzzle was sitting next to us when I woke up," Yugi said, reaching over and cupping his hands around the Puzzle, "Looks like I was right - we solved the Millennium Puzzle, and we got enough power to get out of that place with no problem!"

Yes, they had gotten out of the HellPit…but, as Yami was now recalling, that wasn't the only effect of solving the Puzzle.

Yami reached inwards, probing for the intrusion he had felt developing before. But he couldn't seem to find it. Yami reached down towards the depths of his body and soul, but felt only himself and his own powers. But there was a spot in the back that felt slightly odd…

If this was the power of the Millennium Puzzle in his mind, Yami decided, it didn't feel particularly bad. It was like himself, but darker, with a great deal of power lurking in its depths…

All of a sudden, Yami stumbled across something…light. It was a bright, burning light, something the mage-demon was fairly certain had never existed in his mind before…the light was twined up with his own dark soul, but it didn't feel different from him, even when it did…Yami reached out for the light.

Why was there a _presence_ here? And - Yami started - it felt his probe, and pushed one of its own, awkward and instinctive, right back towards him. Yami registered the presence's unbelievable familiarity in the same instant that Yugi's sudden unfocused gaze and alarmed expression crossed his senses.

"It's you!" Yami exclaimed.

"What?" Yugi blinked, his gaze refocusing suddenly, "It's me what?"

"You felt that, didn't you?"

Yugi was silent for a moment.

"…Felt…you mean, when it felt like… But…how did you…?"

The boy was understandably confused, but Yami knew what he meant. Explaining, now that was going to be interesting.

Gingerly, Yami reached out and brushed the other again. As he did so, Yami said aloud, "Tell me if you feel me doing this."

Yugi's renewed alarm showed that he had, in fact, felt Yami doing that.

"That's _you?_ Why are you inside my _head?_"

"I believe this may be the work of the Millennium Puzzle," Yami said, eyeing the golden pyramid in Yugi's hands with something like annoyance, "A side-effect of the two of us solving it together, perhaps."

Once again, Yami reached towards the brightness that was Yugi's mind and soul. A moment after brushing the fringes again, Yami felt a clumsy response brush him back.

"That's creepy," Yugi said, "Um…for some reason, it doesn't feel bad, but this most definitely feels creepy. And if you can poke me inside my own head, can I poke you inside yours, or is this one-way?"

"It should work both ways…let me see if I can teach you to find my mind," Yami said.

For someone completely untrained, Yugi learned fast. Yami guided the tendrils of Yugi's consciousness towards him, teasing them gently whenever they lost focus or direction. Just before they reached the walls that protected Yami's core consciousness from intrusion - walls that were still torn and sore from Seto's little rampage earlier - Yami retreated back inside them. Yugi would need to figure out where exactly his mind was on his own…this way would help him learn.

After a moment's floundering, Yami felt Yugi's bright presence touch his walls. Yugi's mind, bright as it was, had had little in the way of defenses, which was why Yami had reached softly inside the boy's mind. But even his strained defenses ought to be enough to keep Yugi out - Yami's thoughts were interrupted as Yugi slipped through his walls and brushed Yami directly. The mage-demon couldn't suppress a shiver - gods, was **that** what that felt like?

"You okay?" Yugi asked, quite readily picking up on Yami's surprise.

"Yes…" Yami answered distractedly.

Connections and duties aside, there was a serious problem here. No matter what sort of connection the Millennium Puzzle had wrought between the two of them, Yami's walls should not, **could not** have admitted anything else than Yami's own consciousness without putting up a fight. Yami really hadn't thought much of getting inside Yugi's own shielding without a fight, but now Yugi could do the same thing to him…

Basically, this meant that, on their deepest levels of self, they each recognized the other as being the same as their own self, with the same soul. But there was no way Yami's soul could have…could…have…

Oh.

Oh…

Oh!

0

"What? What's wrong?" Yugi exclaimed.

Yugi was undoubtedly upset because Yami had started chuckling to himself. It was a cold sound, surprised and bitter at the same time, and Yami was having trouble keeping it at mere chuckling instead of full-blown hysteria.

"Yami…?"

Forcibly wrenching himself back to calmness - easily done after feeling another of those electrifying touches inside him - Yami regarded Yugi with something like clinical curiosity. Yugi was worried and confused, but why wouldn't he be? Yugi didn't know yet.

"Do you remember what I said about the Shaded One?" Yami asked.

"The…Shaded One?" Yugi blinked, "Well…yeah. You said that group Bakura knew about had made a deal with the Shaded One, so that they would get powers…right?"

"That is correct," Yami said, "Now, did I mention what the Shaded One wanted in exchange for providing this help?"

There was a moment of quiet.

"No," Yugi said finally, "But…is this why you're…not all demon?"

Yami nodded.

"The Shaded One was not at all interested in any of the material wealth the group had gathered to offer him. Being the spirit that he was, the Shaded One fed on something very specific, and agreed to give power in exchange for that nourishment."

"…And…that was…?" Yugi slowly asked.

"Souls."

Yugi blinked. Then he looked nauseated.

"He wanted to eat your **soul?**"

"The Shaded One enjoyed eating souls of any sort," Yami said, "Human souls were just the strongest. In exchange for parts of our souls, the Shaded One gave us demon-powers."

He talked faster, wanted to prevent any outbursts from Yugi until everything had been gotten out.

"The power replaced the lost part of the soul. In some cases, the fools offered him their entire souls, and were transformed into mindless but very powerful monsters. Others like myself gave almost none, or almost all, and that was the amount of power we received."

There was a longer pause than before.

"How much…did you give up, Yami?" Yugi asked.

"Half," Yami answered.

"…How much did Bakura give up?" Yugi asked, having come to the obvious conclusion.

"More than I did," Yami recalled, "About three-fourths of his."

"And you just _let_ some evil monster _eat_ your _soul?_" Yugi exclaimed, sounding angry that Yami had even considered making such a decision.

"The Shaded One didn't eat the way you or I would eat," Yami said, wondering why he felt the need to defend his decision, "He absorbed the souls he received and would keep them inside him, feeding off the energy they produced until they faded into nothingness. Even a small piece of a soul would satisfy him for a hundred years. But it doesn't matter because he was destroyed almost three weeks after the eclipse."

"He was?"

"…The priesthood hunted us down," Yami said, pulling the bloody memories out carefully, "Eventually, only myself and Bakurah were left standing - but not before we destroyed most of the area and killed quite a few people. Seto was the one who finally cornered us. He killed the Shaded One, and the souls inside escaped to the afterlife, where they would regrow, if they were broken, and later be reborn into the world."

"…So when Seto caught you the first time," Yugi said, "…He put you into that empty place. Right? Why wouldn't he just…"

"Why not kill me?"

When Yugi nodded - the boy was not comfortable having this discussion, but he wanted to know badly enough - Yami explained, "Quite ironically enough, the massacre we demonic ones caused took out enough of the royal family that I was the next in line to be Pharaoh. Because Seto had been sworn to protect the Pharaoh from all harm when he became a priest of the court, he couldn't kill me without invoking the wrath of the gods, no matter what I had been up to."

"So he sealed you away…what did he do to Bakura?"

"I have no idea," Yami said, "Sealed him as well, I expect. You can't exactly kill a necromancer without making them more powerful in the process…but that's not the point."

"What is the point, then?" Yugi asked.

"The point, in case you haven't already noticed," Yami said, raising a hand and pressing it against his chest, "Is that that is the reason we are the same inside, you and I."

It took Yugi a minute to track. Then the boy gaped.

"You mean…my…you mean we're...mine came...from..._we're the same person?_"

"...Almost," Yami replied.

…


	52. 52

It has occurred to me that in all the time and work and writer's block that's been going on ever since I started this fic, way way way way WAY long ago, I've completely forgotten a teeny-weeny, itty-bitty, little tiny detail:

I can't write pairings. At all.

So, in the spirit of that, I present to you: **TOTAL AND UTTER CRAP!**

You have been warned.

0

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh

Claimer: I own the stuff I invented

* * *

0 

…

There were many ways for Yugi to take this information, most of them bad.

Yugi's face became impassive as the boy thought about this stunning revelation. Well, at least he wasn't in some sort of flat-out denial…Yami resisted the urge to use their newfound connection to see what Yugi was thinking. It was probably hard enough to think about this without someone else listening in…

Yugi was confused and trying very hard not to show it: it felt like he was succeeding. When looked at as carefully as possible, the facts seemed to fit. On some impossibly deep level, deep enough that neither Yami nor Yugi had been aware that the level even existed, every single thread that had bound their original soul together had never been cleanly cut. On this incredibly deep level, Yugi and Yami were still the exact same person in every way that truly mattered.

Yugi had spent the first part of his life disconnected from some of the things that made people behave in ways that could be aggressive, ambitious, and display a powerful hunger for growth - very basic requirements in any functional human being - because those were the parts that Yami had retained when he had accepted the demonic energies. The pieces that let functional human beings function despite the world's basic indifference towards life - things like empathy, compassion, and an innate understanding of what one should find truly precious - were what Yami had chosen to shed.

After Yami's release into the modern world, those pieces had called to each other, yearning to be drawn back together even though such a fusion was no longer possible. The Millennium Puzzle bridged that gap now…it made sense, but thinking about it gave Yugi a headache.

Plus there was the _wonderful_ added bonus of complications that no one could have EVER anticipated…

Yami blinked. Yugi was looking down now, looking at…ah, the corded rope that was tied around his left wrist. Yami looked down at his own left hand, at the other end of the rope. Symbolism could be pretty scary…

Yugi seemed to nod to himself. Okay, he didn't look like he was taking it badly, but…that didn't necessarily mean he was taking it well, either…

"Are you angry with me?" Yami asked, unable to take the suspense of waiting any longer.

Yugi blinked, slightly surprised by the question.

"Angry for what?"

For what?

"…Everything?" Yami offered, uncertain how else to narrow it down.

Much to his surprise, Yugi nodded, then said, "Not really. This does explain some things…

"Yami, is this why that demon guy was after me?"

"Ah…" Yami hadn't really considered the possibility that Yugi would be curious - that was stupid, naturally, if Yami was the one that was being hunted, HE certainly would want to know why…oh, right.

"I guess not," Yugi said next, answering his own question, "He didn't even know you were around for a while, didn't he? I guess there must be some other reason. Do you know what that is, Yami?"

When Yami hesitated in answering, Yugi drew upon a fraction of his newly forming temper and stated, "I know you know, Yami. And if people are going to be coming after me and wrecking cities in order to get their hands on it, I _think_ I deserve to know!"

"And I never said I wouldn't tell you," Yami replied, feeling amused despite himself, "I only recently determined the answer myself. From what I have seen, you happen to possess a very rare and very powerful talent."

Yami gave Yugi the short version on Amplification: why it was so rare, why it was so powerful, and why it was so dangerous. The shred of Yugi's necklace, which by some freakish miracle had not been lost since Yami had first picked it up, provided an excellent and non-traumatizing example of what happened when you over-amplified something. Yami tried to ignore the look that briefly crossed Yugi's features, the one that suggested that Yugi had made the mental transition from **something** to **someone**.

"Do you have this magnification power thing, Yami?" Yugi asked.

"If I did before, I never noticed," Yami shrugged, "And I certainly don't have it now."

Yami's gaze strayed to the Millennium Puzzle, the vestiges of a tantalizing idea beginning to brew.

"I think I must have, at one point," Yami mused aloud, "I doubt the Puzzle would have allowed me to possess it otherwise…"

"Can you explain that in non-freaky-magic-lingo-ese, please?"

Yami glared at the other. He meant it to be mild, but maybe it was too mild - Yugi actually looked amused. Yami suddenly felt a completely unnatural urge to - Yami blinked in consternation. He actually wanted to _pout_. His brain must have finished melting into idiotic goo during the trip between the Hellpit and this alley. Yami sighed.

"Do you recall what I said about the origins of the Puzzle?"

"I do," Yugi said, "You said it was those Guardians of…Night, right?"

"Guardians of the Twelve Hours of Night," Yami corrected.

"And I think you mentioned that they had other magical artifacts than the Puzzle," Yugi added, "Like the staff-thing that…"

Yugi trailed off, evidently aware that Seto was a sore topic.

"The Millennium Rod," Yami agreed, focusing his thoughts on the subject at hand, "There were seven objects in total, each with its own unique ability. From what I learned of them, the Puzzle's ability is also a form of Amplification."

"I see," Yugi said, nodding to himself, "From what you said, it sounds like this Puzzle is probably one of the most powerful of those objects."

"It was said that the leader of the seven Guardians wielded the Puzzle," Yami continued, thinking back on the few scraps of legend he had been able to learn on the subject, "The only specific thing I ever heard was that with the leader's support, the other guardians were able to master two hours of night each instead of only one."

"…Which I'm sure is really something," Yugi said wryly.

Yami dropped the subject - it took a lot of experience in magic to understand the significance, anyway. Instead, the mage-demon began untying the rope on his wrist.

"I forgot that was there," Yugi said, seeing what Yami was doing and starting to untie his own arm.

Once both ends were untied, Yami eyed the rope, then the loop on the Puzzle, then the rope again. Feeling Yugi's gaze turning curiouser and curiouser, Yami tied the ends of the rope around the metal loop. It was now just long enough…

Yugi's eyes went wide as, without saying a word, Yami hung the Millennium Puzzle around the smaller boy's neck.

"…It will be easier to keep track of this way," Yami protested as Yugi's surprised look turned to one of annoyance.

"You couldn't have at least asked me first?" Yugi said.

Even though Yugi sounded as annoyed as he looked, the boy was already adjusting the rope so that the Puzzle was hanging straight. Yami felt a sudden, very familiar, but very unwelcome pang. The connection the Millennium Puzzle had wrought had cleared up the worst of the strange needy longing, but even from outside the lens of obsession, Yugi was still very maddeningly attractive.

'_Oh great_,' Yami thought to himself, '_Instead of feeling strange things, now I get to feel unnatural things_.'

'_…Stupid narcissism…_'

…Yami frowned to himself.

'_What's narcissism?_'

He certainly didn't know that word…Yami felt shock roll through him, though it wasn't all his. Yugi's eyes had gone wide.

'_That was his thought?_' Yami thought.

Well, it looked like there was more to this mental connection than either of them had expected. They could hear each other's **thoughts** now?

This was so shocking that it took the real surprise another minute to penetrate Yami's consciousness: the REASON their thoughts had been almost undistinguishable…the same sort of emotional overlay…and even the same…strange……**longing**…?

Yugi abruptly began studying the ground with unbelievable fascination, his face red and growing redder every second. Yami, for his part, suddenly realized that the wall in the completely opposite direction was quite strange and mysterious and needed careful study RIGHT NOW. A rising heat in his own features suggested that he, too, was blushing.

There was a minute of poignant silence. Then…

'_Ah…so much for that…one-sided thing…_'

This thought was clearly in Yugi's voice. Now that they were actually paying attention, their thoughts clearly sounded different, despite being about almost the exact same thing.

'**_…Suppose so…_**'

Yami didn't feel he could trust himself to say/think anything more. Besides, that one brick in the wall over there was quite interesting. It was very important that he memorize what it looked like as soon as possible -

'_Maybe we can still make this work_.'

Yugi's thought was surprisingly confident. It was surprising enough that Yami even managed to leave off his investigation into that one brick and look back at Yugi. The mortal was still blushing, but he was admirably trying to focus.

"…I mean, you were the one that said it before," Yugi said aloud, "We're 'almost' the same person. If we used to be doesn't matter right now. But 'almost' doesn't mean we are. …Does that make sense?"

…After a long, LONG pause, Yami felt himself nodding. It DID make sense, somehow…somewhere inside him, Yami had no doubts, that fucking bloody pang was throwing a damn victory party -

A harsh screech from overhead broke the mood instantly. A shadow passed over the alley, and Yugi and Yami looked up just in time to see the lean shape of a gargoyle pass by. The sky was brighter than it had been before their entry into Hauru's lair, but still more than dark enough for monsters to roam free in the city.

Duty called…

…


	53. 53

...Wow. You guys still like and read my fic despite the horrible posting schedual and bad, _baaaaaad_ writing? Pinch me, I must be dreaming - OW!

Oi! It's just an EXPRESSION! Sheesh, some people...

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh

Claimer: I DO own the stuff I invented

* * *

… 

It would have been far better for them to get even just a little more time to understand their new connection, Yami knew, but there simply was no more time for the two of them to spare anymore. They would have to settle for defining it while they walked - hardly a wonderful prospect - and Yami found himself doing most of the work, as Yugi was completely untrained in this area and so had very little idea how to manipulate anything this way.

Thankfully the boy was a fast learner - already the emotional interplay was far more controlled, and as Yugi was feeling more than a bit rattled, Yami was grateful. The boy had every right to feel so - the part of the city they had appeared in was far from welcoming.

Yami and Yugi had ended up nearly halfway across the city from where they had been before; there were nothing but the tallest sky-scraping buildings here. Not a one stood without some damage - cracks in the glass traced errant lines from street to sky - but the area was fairly intact. It was very quiet, but that was probably because the only things around were himself, Yugi, and many, many corpses.

The corpses all belonged to various beasts, suggesting that here, at least, the humans of the city had fought back against the invading wave of darkness and monsters. There were no human bodies in sight, and Yami privately wondered (in a small section of his mind that he was certain was still private, even now) whether that was a good or bad sign. Human survivors might remove their fallen comrade's remains for burial, but enough beasts that dined primarily on humans were not too picky whether the human was still living during their meals…

Yugi's displeasure at having to pass through this particular street would have been easily evident without the bond connecting them - though the boy was putting up with it surprisingly well.

"I hope the others are alright," Yugi said, trying to break the oppressive silence.

It _was_ a matter to be concerned about: even though neither of them had wanted to be trapped within the Hellpit, however temporary their stay had ended up being, they HAD left three helpless mortals all alone with Bakurah. That alone was most worrisome.

"I heard that," Yugi piped up, a note of something lighter in his voice, "You know, plenty of bad things do happen in the world that aren't actually Bakura's fault."

'**_Wouldn't stop him from taking full credit_**,' Yami thought sourly.

A half-muffled giggle informed Yami straight away that Yugi had picked that thought up quite clearly. Feeling slightly annoyed at being teased (it was proving very hard to be irritated when Yugi was the one doing the teasing), Yami stopped walking and turned to regard the smaller of their pair.

"You do know that I'm right," Yami pointed out.

"Not as much as you think," Yugi replied, "And I'm pretty sure I get to be an expert on that now."

Yami couldn't decide quite how to reply to that, settled for a mutter of 'Phf', and turned to continue leading the way. Yugi didn't laugh out loud this time, but Yami felt enough of the wave of amusement to leave his ears ringing. Their shielding definitely needed more work, this could get very embarrassing very quickly.

Leaving the street of corpses improved Yugi's overall mood, and the boy's sudden inclination to tease faded shortly afterwards. The return of Yugi's melancholy mood was far less welcome.

It was to be expected: the only likely place for the others to be at was at Hauru's stronghold, which had previously been the home of that girl, and Yami could say for certain now that Yugi knew that the girl was dead. Whether or not he had been watching when Seto had slain her was still a mystery: Yugi was keeping that information to himself, and Yami didn't feel any desire to pry.

As they got closer - thankfully the walk back wasn't too inconvenient - there were signs of more active beasts lurking about. Their master's untimely demise might have left them scattered and disorganized, but that didn't make them any less dangerous, nor Yami any less wary. At least the Dammugs, the only ones that couldn't get out of the open, proved they had SOME intelligence by letting the pair pass by unmolested.

"Oh, that's _really_ unattractive," Yugi mumbled after getting his first glimpse of a Dammug Beast.

Ah yes, normally the boy couldn't see them, but since Yami could and the two of them were connected now…Yami actually felt apologetic, though he didn't say anything out loud.

"Umm…exactly how are we supposed to get rid of all these monsters now anyway, do you know?" Yugi asked, eyeing the front of a nearby building, where a Dammug Beast was standing, watching their progress, "If they obey that Hauru guy, and he's, well, dead now, do you think will they just leave on their own?"

"It's doubtful," Yami replied, "Most of these creatures are likely to find a city to be a good territory for hunting…"

Yami walked around the next corner - the last one, their destination was just a few blocks up the street - and stopped in disbelief. Yugi stopped right behind him, startled, and moved to see what was so shocking to his companion…and froze, gaping.

The small, innocuous-looking blue house that had once sat so innocently only a few blocks away was no more. Instead, it appeared as if a boulder the size of a small mountain had been placed where the house had once stood, and then exploded. Slabs of rock and twisted beams of metal littered the area - the parking garage and other nearby buildings had taken enough damage to turn them into more, though less-spectacular, rubble piles of their own. The exploded rubble was giving off a particularly unsettling aura…

"Yami?" Yugi finally managed to force some words out, "What happened?"

'_It looks like the house popped open and spewed a bunch of rocks out_.'

Yugi's thought sounded unintended, random speculation, but the pieces clicked inside Yami's mind almost instantly.

'**_I think it did_**,' Yami thought - a subtle reminder for Yugi to organize his thoughts if he didn't want them heard.

Maybe it was too subtle - Yugi started, as receiving a response had clearly not been on his mind.

"What?"

'**_Hauru used magic to place his fortress inside of that house_**,' Yami clarified, still using the bond, '**_Once he died…the spell must not have been able to sustain itself for very long…_**'

'_And since his fortress was way bigger than - Anzu's house_,' Yugi's mental voice stumbled over the name, '_The house…popped…like a balloon_.'

Yugi started walking towards the rubble as fast as he could. Yami followed him right away, the same thought in mind.

Had anyone still been inside when…?

Yugi wasn't very far away from the blast site when he suddenly ground to a halt, suddenly enough that Yami almost ran into him. Something was in amongst the rubble, something moving and alive and likely to be very dangerous.

Yami stretched out his senses - he was getting in some details he couldn't normally pick up, Yugi must be trying to do the same thing, though he wasn't trained - and at first all Yami picked up was the same residue of monster and demon that seemed to have permanently seeped into every stone of Hauru's fortress.

Then there was a slight flicker - something small and agitated and oddly alive - and Yami realized, after another moment, that this was something familiar and not even unwelcome.

"I think -" Yami began.

There was suddenly a blur of motion as the moving thing in the rubble detected them and headed their way as quickly as it could. Yami barely had time to tense before the black blur skidded to a halt at his and Yugi's feet, whining and snuffling excitedly -

"It's Rosa!" Yugi exclaimed, "I can't believe it - and she's okay!"

Indeed, it was the thorny plant-beast that had accompanied them to Hauru's fortress. In all the rush and fighting to get to Hauru, Yami hadn't had time to spare more than a faint thought for her, but the loyal creature had remained here, searching for himself and Yugi.

Rosa seemed especially pleased to see Yugi, nuzzling the slightly shorter mortal eagerly since he was closer to the ground. She did lick Yami's hand, but was focused enough on Yugi that Yami actually felt a bit jealous.

Once the plant-beast was finally petted enough to calm down, Yugi turned pleading eyes Yami's way.

"We can keep her, right?"

After a long pause, Yami shrugged.

"…Ask your grandfather," the mage-demon finally said.

That small matter out of the way, Yugi turned his gaze back towards the remains of the fortress.

"Is anyone else there, do you think?" Yugi asked.

"I didn't sense anything else," Yami said, turning his gaze towards Rosa, whose tail was still waving merrily.

Seeing the mage-demon's gaze resting on her, Rosa sat up more alertly, awaiting a command - just as Yami had suspected.

"Find the others," Yami said, peripherally aware of the confused look Yugi was now sporting, "They should still be covered in Light and Fire, at least."

Rosa rumbled an affirmative growl, then turned and began sniffing the ground, searching for the correct scents.

"This is one of those 'It's magic', things, right?" Yugi asked a moment later.

'**_Some creatures are more intelligent than others_**,' Yami thought at the other, '**_Remind me to teach you at least some of the basics when we have a moment_**.'

'_…Sure!_'

Yugi sounded nearly delighted - the boy was **quite** tired of being confused all the time, he really did want to know how everything worked.

Rosa began walking away, nose still to the ground and sniffing. Then she stopped in her tracks, turned back towards them, and barked sharply - time to follow the trail.

…


	54. 54

Well, after three years of writing and two years of posting, this fic is finally coming to an end! 

Seriously! I've actually written the ending! This **particular** chapter isn't the last one, but the last one is coming up soon. Now, if I could only make it be not crap, that would be a _real_ miracle.

Heh heh...and it only took me all of the day-before-yesterday-afternoon and that night to write...and that doesn't even include the EXTRA time dealing with my pain-in-the-rear internet...oy vey... 

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yugioh

Claimer: I own all the stuff I made up (if ya'll want a complete list, let me know and I'll toss it in for ya!)

* * *

… 

Rosa kept to a slow lope, so as not to leave Yugi behind - the moment the slightest thought of carrying Yugi himself crossed Yami's mind, the mortal in question gave him a particularly dirty look - but the plant-beast's urgency was evident with every move she made and step she took. Before they got too far, Yami picked up on what Rosa had already identified as a threat.

Almost ironically, it was the very same presence he had only managed to define as a vague sense of doom the last time, muffled as it had been.

Around a few corners later the trail ended. While normally this plaza (terminology was starting to bleed through at both ends of their bond) would be filled with couples and tourists out for a day on the town, at the moment it was playing host to a crowd of a very different sort.

Seto, it seemed, had decided that as long as the various monstrous beasts were hanging around the city, terrorizing the humans that populated it, then those beasts might as well serve him while they did so. Through the milling throng of tall, three-tailed spiked beasts, even larger horned trolls, and a few more of the Dammug Beasts, Yami could see the priest.

The sight of his _ever_-so-beloved half-cousin sent red flashing across Yami's vision. He almost fancied that he was keeping himself well under control before a flicker of Yugi's worry drew his gaze down. Yami's hands had automatically curled into fists, and the stinging feeling and obviously dripping blood showed that his claws had automatically extended at the same time…the mage-demon sent a flash of magic through his hands, ignoring the sensation that resulted and Yugi's disapproval both, resuming his glares at Seto.

The priest had been putting his long lifespan to good use, Yami noted in annoyance. In one hand, Seto held the Millennium Rod, and in the other gleamed the shining crystal length that allowed Seto to control the fell creatures - the Staff of Sehloo that needed to be broken if the monster problem was ever to be ended.

Seto was wielding both items, each tricky and dangerous in their own rights, with undeniable ease. The man was practically showing off…but Yami couldn't figure out what he was doing, only that Seto was most certainly doing SOMETHING.

What **was** that damned bastard of a priest up to now?

"Take DAT, ya overgrown pincushion!" bellowed a familiar voice.

One of the three-tailed spike beasts shrieked in agony as an equally familiar sinusoidal dragon of fire engulfed it.

"It's Jou!" Yugi exclaimed, "The others made it out okay! That's great!"

Now completely distracted from his goal of glaring at Seto, Yami turned his head and observed that yes, it appeared that the other mortals had survived after all. They were huddled together on the far side of the plaza from where Yami and Yugi were standing.

As Yami watched, Jou's flameblade let loose another flame-dragon at one of the horned trolls that had wandered too close. The troll screeched something and retreated with only a few burns, looking as though it wanted to retaliate against the blonde but was being prevented from doing so.

'_That's so weird_,' Yugi's voice said inside Yami's head when the boy picked up on the strangeness, '_Those monsters are all just standing around. What's going on?_'

'**_You know about as much as I do on the subject_**,' Yami sent back, returning his gaze to where Seto was standing.

The brunette wasn't paying attention to the scorching Jou was giving the fell beasts around him. Seto's eyes were closed as he concentrated on whatever it was that he was up to.

'_**I don't like this**_,' Yami frowned.

'_What are you going to do?_' Yugi asked.

Yami didn't answer directly, as the idea of what he could do was just coming to him now. No matter what Seto was up to, it did not bode well for what remained of the city's inhabitants if any of the creatures remained. And as Seto was the one controlling all the beasts at the moment, circumstances required that that control be taken away from him. And the best way to make Seto lose control of something he was working on was…

'**_Stay over here. Rosa will guard you in case anything comes over this way_**,' Yami sent towards Yugi as he began walking towards Seto, right out into the open.

Yugi's alarm was deafening, but Yami made himself ignore it.

"That's dangerous! What do you think you're _doing!_" Yugi cried aloud.

Of course it was dangerous. Yami's plan was to go piss Seto off. That was about as safe as poking a dragon in the eye, except that the dragon would be more kindly disposed towards letting you live afterwards.

Normally Yami would have preferred to leave this sort of job in Bakurah's hands - he was a professional at irritating other people to the point of murderous rage - but the necromancer-demon was nowhere to be seen.

'_Isn't there any better plan you could try than this?_' Yugi sent, his tone plaintive.

Yami chose to ignore it, though it pained him that he was causing Yugi so much distress…but they were sorely lacking in other options. Once he was about halfway across the plaza to where the beasts were thronging around Seto, Yami stopped walking and contemplated the best method for drawing Seto's attention. Then Yami raised his left hand and focused his power.

The snake that Yami threw into the group took two of the three-tailed beasts through their throats, curved around to lop off the head of a Dammug Beast, and removed a troll's hands and hoofed feet from the rest of its body before curling around Seto with perfect precision, burning the collar of the man's coat as it did so.

It disintegrated with a _crack_ of shadow magic as Seto's eyes snapped wide open, the priest's gaze focusing instantly on Yami. Keeping with the theme of 'Trying to irritate Seto, no matter how suicidal that may be', Yami made a point of waving cheekily at his half-cousin with his outstretched hand.

The result was instantaneous. His lips twisted into a ferocious snarl, Seto lowered the Millennium Rod, raised the Staff of Sehloo over his head, and jabbed it fiercely in Yami's direction. The fell beasts responded to the command eagerly, snapping at each other in their fierce desire to move and kill.

Unfortunately for them, Yami was faster. Focusing on Seto, Yami charged into the snarling, thrashing mass of creatures, opting to take the straightest route through them. The beasts roared and lashed out at whatever was closer, unable to turn around because of the others behind them, but unable to keep going forward towards freedom and a city full of human flesh.

There was a flash of fire to the side as Jou cut loose with the flameblade, and part of the crowd of beasts peeled off and attacked, their fury at being kept pinned by the staff-holder overpowering even the staff's command over them. Jou was experienced enough with the flameblade by this point that it was hard to feel overly concerned for his safety.

Yami ducked and weaved through the beasts, dodging tails and feet. He came to a stop only when he was a few feet away from where Seto was standing. The priest was frowning as well as glaring at him.

"You've managed to escape **again**, I see," Seto finally said, his tone almost calm, "You do realize that if I cannot keep you locked away, I shall need to kill you."

Yami bared his claws and let his fangs extend.

"Feel free to try," the mage-demon replied, then dived to the side as Seto took him at his word and shot a bolt of shadow magic straight for his head.

Unperturbed by the miss (or the fact that he'd just killed some of the beasts he controlled) Seto took aim and tried again. Yami was content to dodge at first, while he assessed his opponent for weaknesses. Unfortunately, Seto had never been a man content to possess weakness. If the priest hadn't slacked over the last few thousand years, and Yami was certain that he had not, then Yami would have to outthink him in order to win.

Deciding not to let Seto hold the upper hand in this fight, Yami threw another snake, dodging away at the same time. If his memory of their last battle was any semblance of truth - hah! He'd been right!

Seto lashed out at the snake with the Millennium Rod, its Sennen bright with golden fire, and reflected it back towards where Yami had been standing when he had cast it. That little trick had taken Yami off-guard last time, but now only a monster suffered from the result.

The majority of the remaining the beasts, sensing their controller's inattention over their actions and safety, decided to bolt. Spreading out in every direction, most of them were swiftly immolated and burnt by Jou, or dissolved in screeching agony as Ryou tentatively assisted in the fight. The one or two creatures that got anywhere close to Yugi were ripped apart by Rosa, who was protecting the boy fiercely.

Yami threw a few more snakes at Seto, trying to figure out what he could do. Seto was blocking every attack and not even hesitating in retaliating. Throwing some of the snakes at the Staff of Sehloo directly was no good either, since Seto deflected those with more of his annoying perfect accuracy. There was a smirk growing on the brunette's face as Seto realized how much of the upper hand he had.

This reminded Yami of another of Seto's personality quirks. Feigning exhaustion, Yami threw a last snake - underpowered and not even aimed for anything vital - then let himself sink to his knees. Yami pretended to be panting for air heavily, crossing his fingers mentally as he did so.

Seto merely sidestepped the last snake and stared down at Yami, his smirk growing wide and fierce. Yami forced a similar expression off of his own face before it could betray him.

"How sweet. You came here hoping to kill me and secure your freedom, not even _considering_ how much more powerful I am than you," Seto said, taking a step closer to where Yami was crouched, "I suppose an **animal** like yourself simply cannot understand the value of planning ahead…not that you will survive long enough to learn _now_."

Seto took another step forward, Millennium Rod raised. Yami was keeping a wary eye on that, he wasn't trying to invite another mental invasion by Seto - _especially_ now that Yugi was in there - but at the same time he watched as the Staff of Sehloo, gleaming as it was held loosely in Seto's other hand, coming closer and closer with every step.

Seto took one more step, and Yami lunged out of his crouch, ignoring Seto's alarmed cry and the flash of the Millennium Rod both as he seized his goal. The staff felt oddly cold in his hand, but Yami discovered a new problem right away.

The bastard priest wasn't letting **go**.

Seto's eyes widened as he realized what Yami had been after. The mage-demon snarled, trying to pull the Staff of Sehloo out of Seto's hand, but the priest's grip had tightened and was annoyingly strong, even though Yami was pulling with both hands now.

"_Interesting_," Seto said, his smirk returning, "And when did you think up this little idea, I wonder?"

"You've forgotten, _cousin_," Yami replied, his face twisting in the eerie parody of a friendly smile, "I think best on my feet when in battle."

Eyes flashing at Yami's term for him, which was more insulting than any profane word could ever be to him, Seto tugged on the staff, trying to make Yami let go. Yami pulled back, moving away from Seto as he did to get more force, but was equally unable to dislodge his opponent's grip.

"I don't have **time** for this idiocy," Seto snarled, raising the Millennium Rod.

Refusing to let go of the staff - if he lost his grip now he was NEVER going to get another chance at taking it - Yami lunged to the side to avoid the blast of shadow magic. This dragged Seto around as well, making his attack go wide.

Changing tactics, Seto raised the Rod, focusing until it hummed with power, before bringing down towards Yami's head point-first. Responding with reflex, Yami tried to duck and dodge away, inadvertently pulling the Staff of Sehloo in the way of the Millennium Rod.

When the tip of the Rod hit the crystalline structure of the staff, the two different types of magic reacted rather badly. The Staff of Sehloo flashed with its own power as it repelled the Millennium Rod, which blasted the staff with some of its power in retaliation for being so rudely rebuffed.

For Yami and Seto, since they were holding the Staff of Sehloo, the effect was much like a painful electrical shock and a second-degree burn at the same time. Unable to hold onto the staff, Yami and Seto lost their grips at the same time. Still crackling faintly from the clash of magic, the Staff of Sehloo began falling towards the pavement…only to be deftly plucked out of midair.

Yami and Seto turned to see who was intruding on their fight. Yami blanched and snarled instantly.

"And WHERE in the **HELLS** have you _BEEN!_"

"**Do** quit whining like that, it's so unbecoming for a Pharaoh," Bakurah sneered in reply.

"Damned **animal!**" Seto snapped, lunging out to grab the staff.

Bakurah was too fast for the priest, nimbly dancing away, twirling the Staff of Sehloo around the fingers of his hand in a disgustingly cheery fashion as he did so. Grinning madly, Bakurah then tossed the staff from hand to hand, taking great enjoyment at how Seto was glaring at him while grinding his teeth. The priest's free hand was twitching, as if Seto were imagining that he had a hold of Bakurah's neck and was throttling the infuriating necromancer-demon.

Yami didn't blame Seto for having the idea one bit.

"_Ooh_, such a **pretty** toy this is," Bakurah crooned, holding the Staff of Sehloo up and inspecting it closely, "Quite lovely, and _extremely_ valuable…"

Bakurah proceeded to shrug, before casually tossing the staff over his shoulder.

"And now it's **not**."

The Staff of Sehloo hit the ground with a crack, cracking and splintering on impact. The cracks continued to grow until the staff finally broke into a small pile of glass-like shards, which evaporated into nothingness with a muffled hiss. The result of this was immediate: the shroud in the sky that was blocking the light of the sun began disappearing without a trace, bright beams of light poking through right away.

Faint on the breeze, the death-screams of the fell creatures started becoming audible.

Yami let himself sigh in relief. **One** impossible obstacle down…

And one to go.

Seto wasn't hesitating, either.

…


	55. 55

Almost finished...this is the official next-to-last chapter!

...So, hopefully it doesn't suck.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh

Claimer: What DO I own? The list is so long...if I invented it, it's mine - how does that sound?

* * *

… 

The Millennium Rod flared with power at the same instant Yami realized his dangerous proximity to the priest. The mage-demon leapt back to a more defensible position - or tried to.

Yami's body froze before he even began moving, the power of the Millennium Rod holding him in place like a vise.

"And then there was one," Seto smirked.

Rightly determining that Yami was no longer a threat, Seto turned his back to his captured prey and faced Bakurah, Millennium Rod at the ready. The necromancer-demon cursed and bolted, Seto already hot on his heels.

While Seto chased Bakurah down - the fiendish one was trying to get to the edge of the plaza and to safety, but the priest was just fast enough to keep Bakurah from getting away - Yami squirmed and struggled against the magic that kept him held fast. Unfortunately, it was completely resistant to his efforts, and the mage-demon had nothing else to work with.

"We're here for ya man, don't ya worry Yam'," came an unexpected voice, "We'll think'a somethin'…"

Yami was startled to hear Jou's voice - in the heat of battle, he'd pretty much forgotten all about the mortals' presence, sans Yugi, of course. He couldn't move his head to look, but hearing Rosa's whines and being able to feel how Yugi's concern had spiked alerted the mage-demon to the fact that his half-self had come over to join Honda, Ryou, and Jou in their efforts.

Frustration drove Yami to struggle even harder to break free, despite the total lack of success his struggles were achieving.

Long minutes passed - from the sounds of things, Bakurah was giving Seto one hell of a run - and the realization that Yami was trapped for as long as Seto was going to hold him here settled in Yami's mind. That was a fate Yami did NOT want to contemplate, fueling a new wave of rage and fear.

Yami HATED this, being pinned and helpless like this almost made the **Hellpit** seem attractive - at least in the damned pit he could MOVE - but being trapped like THIS made Yami's more primal instincts **scream** with intermingled fury and terror.

'_Don't think that!_' Yugi pleaded, easily picking up on Yami's fear and desperation, '_Listen to me, please! It's going to be okay, I promise_.'

If the situation weren't so dire, Yami would have found this role reversal almost funny. Despite the panic demanding he do otherwise, Yami tried to calm himself and believe what Yugi was saying.

The voices of the other mortals weren't providing much in the way of assistance.

"What are we supposed to do?"

"Maybe we should try and break that evil-metal-stick-thingy?"

"But how would we manage that?"

"Shaddup, I'm trying ta think here -"

"Crap - _INCOMING!_"

The mortals scattered as Bakurah nearly plowed into their group. The necromancer-demon skidded to a halt the barest instant before plowing right into one of them - Ryou, Yami thought it was. That was the only one that fit - if it had been any of the others, even the thorny Rosa, Bakurah wouldn't have bothered with so much as trying to dodge.

Unfortunately, however well-meant the gesture was, the pause in his escape was to be Bakurah's undoing. The necromancer-demon lacked even the chance to curse before Seto's power flared. Yami winced as he saw Bakurah's body become enveloped in light, leaving him just as helpless as Yami was.

"This nonsense is going to end here and now, you pathetic excuse for a piece of vermin," Seto growled as he approached, going slowly so as to savor his victory, "I plan to take **great** pleasure in your final extermination."

"_No!_ I won't let you have him!"

With no further warning, a bright light flared to life. It was eerily similar to the one still coming from Seto's Millennium Rod, but it was emanating from a completely unexpected source. The whole group watched in amazement as the beams of light coming from Ryou reached out and surrounded Bakurah. The glow of Seto's power vanished almost instantly, releasing the necromancer-demon.

As soon as Bakurah had stumbled forward to freedom, the light faded away. This revealed it's source, which had been somewhere in the vicinity of Ryou's chest. Yami could barely see it at the angle he was forced to look from, but in retrospect, the mage-demon realized, the magic's source had been the most obvious thing he could have imagined.

Hanging from a cord around Ryou's neck was a gleaming golden object. It was a round, flat ring, with five fat metal prongs dangling around it's edges. A flat pyramid in the center supported the main ring, and dominating the center of that was an elongated Sennen, staring out plain as the daylight.

Seto openly gaped, something akin to horror and shock warring on his features.

"_How_…"

The priest seemed unable to speak beyond that one word. Bakurah merely chuckled, though there was a strange edge to his voice. The fiend had moved forward the second he had discovered his freedom, and was standing behind Ryou now, a hand placed on his shoulder in a fashion best described as proud, though Bakurah did still look unusually rattled. Of course, being pinned like THAT, even briefly, would have definitely played hell with the tomb-robber's state…

"I can't imagine why you'd think **you** could understand it anyway," Bakurah finally sneered, "Let's go straight to the throat of the matter - your little Rod may have some useful **tricks**, bastard priest, but thanks to the power of MY Forsaken Item, things will **not** be going so easily for you anymore."

"…You have no claim to it," Seto slowly retorted, regaining his previous confidence more with every word, "I'm not blind, **fool**. I can see it hanging around the boy's neck. If you were it's master, it would be around yours. You are still no match for me, _animal_."

"Around my neck?" Bakurah chortled, sounding strangely amused, "Now who is the fool? It IS around my neck!"

Bakurah laughed, a strange light coming into his eyes.

"Perhaps I should thank you after all," the necromancer-demon continued, still laughing, "After all…without your little seal leashing him to me, I might have lost track of the boy after lo these many years…"

"Spare me your nonsense," Seto growled, "What madman's drivel are you babbling now?"

"It's very simple, though I doubt you'll understand anyway, idiot that you are," Bakurah said slowly, "The Millennium Ring is **mine** because the boy is **me**. I won't explain it again, fool, it's not that hard - besides, it is not as if I'm the only one to be so fortunate!"

Upon completing this statement, Bakurah began laughing hard, the sound growing louder and more maniacal with every second. Ryou was blushing red with embarrassment, but appeared otherwise unsurprised. If Yami could have moved, his jaw would have dropped in flat astonishment. Thankfully, Yugi was there to do that for him.

"Is that true, Ryou?" Yugi exclaimed.

"Yes…" the pale-haired mortal said.

Abruptly, Ryou's eyes flickered between Yami and Yugi, realization dawning.

"Oh! Does that mean you…"

"_ENOUGH!_" Seto roared.

As if that wasn't enough of a reminder that the priest was dangerous and yet-to-be-defeated, Seto released a wild wave of magic. With a thunderous **CRACK**, a powerful shockwave knocked everyone else away, leaving only the still trapped Yami to face Seto alone.

"This time I will make _certain_ that you will _not_ be coming back," Seto hissed softly as he raised the Millennium Rod yet again.

The feel of the power holding Yami in place slowly began to change. Instead of merely being held, unable to move, a strangely painful lethargy began crawling over the mage-demon. It took Yami a moment to realize exactly what Seto was doing - it felt like he was slowly being crushed, but the sensation was inward, directed towards his power and his life-force. And the power doing the crushing was…

Seto was draining his life with the Millennium Rod!

Cursing his helpless state, Yami thrashed against his prison with renewed vigor. As the drain increased, even the _attempts_ he made to move became more and more difficult to carry out. Yami could feel his entire body slump against its restraints as he lost more and more energy and magic with every passing heartbeat.

Seto spoke again. This time, the priest's words were quiet, directed towards himself. Yami couldn't quite make them out…by this time, the drain had stopped actually hurting him any more, but he was so tired…he fought to stay alert, feeling as his mind lost focus and his thoughts wavered.

He had to stay awake, he _had_ to…but he was so…**tired**…

A sudden presence, a bright and surprisingly vibrant and alive presence, flooded Yami's mind, startling him back to near-full awareness. He could feel the presence - Yugi's presence - shudder as the drain began to affect him, but Yugi's mind was being buoyed by something that resisted Seto's efforts.

'_You're not going anywhere_,' Yugi said, '_Focus on me, okay?_'

Distantly, Yami thought he heard Seto yelling something. The power of the drain seemed to increase, but Yami could feel himself actually beginning to regain his energy as Seto's magic began to fail. How was Yugi actually managing to defeat the power of Seto's Forsaken Object was beyond Yami's knowledge, but…oh.

It was strange how the answer was so simple.

The Puzzle was the keystone, wasn't it?

As if that realization was the final trigger needed, the power of the Millennium Puzzle surged forth. It radiated through Yami's body and scattered Seto's power over him as sand scattered on the wind. Still mostly drained, Yami landed on his feet with a hard jolt and nearly lost his balance, but Yugi was with him in body as well as in mind and gladly supported him.

With his attempt to finish Yami off ruined, Seto looked angry enough to attempt the killing with his bare hands.

Catching sight of the gleaming golden Puzzle that dangled from Yugi's neck, however, left Seto staring in flat astonishment, his normal composure lost completely.

"Where…how…_where did you get that?_" Seto demanded.

Yugi ignored the question, instead focusing his concern on Yami. The mage-demon assured his half-self that he would be fine now, watching Seto through narrowed eyes warily in case the priest tried something else. Seto didn't appear to be much of a threat at the moment, clutching the Millennium Rod with a hand that was white-knuckled and shaking, but Yami really didn't feel up to taking chances anymore.

'_He's scared of us_,' Yugi said over the bond, sounding surprised.

'**_Of course he is. He's bonded to the Millennium Rod_**,' Yami reasoned, '**_That puts him as much under the command of the Millennium Puzzle as the Rod itself is, which is quite a bit_**.'

'_…He thinks we'll use the Puzzle to take revenge on him? …Do you need to have revenge?_'

Yami blinked down at the serious face Yugi was presenting him with, startled by the question. It was a valid concern, and Yami thought carefully over his response.

Perhaps before this point, Yami would have wanted the priest to feel some of the suffering he had inflicted, but right now…

Now, for some reason, Yami didn't really **care** what happened to Seto. All he wanted, at the moment, was for the priest to leave him alone. It was an odd feeling.

Yugi nodded, understanding without Yami needing to formulate a response in words.

"Seto-san," Yugi said, this time speaking aloud.

From the tone Yugi was using, it sounded almost as if he was testing how the name sounded on his tongue. Seto barely failed to conceal a flinch, before giving his response. It was very blunt.

"So, how do you plan on killing me?"

When Yugi mutely shook his head at that, Seto's eyes went wide. The priest's gaze flickered toward Yami briefly, but the mage-demon kept his features impassive, revealing nothing.

"It's been long enough, Seto-san," Yugi said, drawing Seto's attention back towards him, "It's time to stop being angry now."

"…As if you even know of what it is you speak," Seto retorted, with only a moment's faltering.

"I don't have to. You can let it go now. We just want you to leave."

Seto opened his mouth, though judging from his face, the priest had no idea what it was he was about to say. Yugi waved a hand, cutting Seto off before he even started.

"Go _home_, Seto-san."

Seto drew himself up, and Yami tensed, fearing that the priest would indeed lash out now that he was backed into a corner.

Instead, Seto seemed to collapse in on himself just as quickly. Then he started walking past Yami and Yugi, towards the edge of the plaza and the city beyond. Seto paused only briefly, seeming to debate on something. Then the priest quickened his stride until he had vanished completely from view.

…


	56. 56

Oh man...the end at LAST...

...**Now** I can work on my **next** fic without the guilt that this one's not being worked on! _SCORE!_

Hopefully I can resist the urge to start posting my next story until it's at least 50 percent done...and not 20 percent like this one. That was back at Chapter Ten, I think. Yeesh!

Anyone who still wants explanations for stuff, let me know. I like explaining things - why else would I write fics?

Disclaimer: I do not, never have, and (at this rate) never will own Yugioh.

Claimer: What's mine is mine, what's borrowed is not mine, and what's left...eh, trust me - you don't wanna know what's left.

* * *

… 

"And so, with the mass chaos and epidemic deaths having come to an end and repairs to the city finally underway, Domino City breathes a sigh of relief," said the news anchor, "The city has expressed special gratitude to Kaiba Corporation for it's _generous_ financial contribution towards the restoring of our beloved city to its former state…"

'**_Must you watch this again?_**'

'_Don't blame me. I don't control the tiny people inside the TV_.'

Yami huffed, knowing he was being teased, and rolled over so that he wasn't looking at the TV. Yugi sighed, understanding perfectly why Yami didn't want to see yet another sound bite of Kaiba Corporation's CEO handing a big check to the various business owners from the city.

Grandpa had returned home two days after the final confrontation with Seto - he'd tried to get back much earlier, of course, but travel into Domino had been blocked for safety reasons.

Even though he had been devastated by the state of the house and the shop - there had been another riot (this time in their neighborhood) before things had cleared up, adding to the damages already wreaked by the Dammug Beasts and Bakura - Grandpa had been more concerned with his grandson's safety, and had been relieved to discover that Yugi was safe and sound.

The introduction of Grandpa to Yami had been…well…

Yami's already-present irritation only increased as Yugi recalled that introduction, but Yugi didn't really see what the big deal was.

Grandpa had listened to their explanations, thought things over carefully, and had fully accepted Yami's continued presence with them. Although Grandpa HAD thrown a piece of garlic at Yami's head during the early part of the explanations…

Rosa had been accepted far more easily. Who knew Grandpa had always wanted a big dog? He didn't even mind that she was technically a big plant-monster and not really a dog. The rest of the issues that had come up, though, concerned the shop and their house, and were not so easily dealt with.

Simply, the small game shop that had been part of the house had never been successful enough to cover the cost of the massive repairs that needed to be made.

In fact, most of the city was too trashed to be easily or cheaply rebuilt, and the remaining population was thoroughly spooked. Even though everyone began insisting right away that there really _hadn't_ been any monsters killing people (since they were _obviously_ just some crazy hallucinations...that decided to rip people apart), a lot of people had started getting ready to move away.

That was when Kaiba Corporation appeared.

A powerful international company that specialized in state-of-the-art technology, Kaiba Corp. chose that moment to move it's global headquarters to Domino City. On top of that, the company's CEO had personally presented the business owners and homeowners of Domino with gifts of money - lots and LOTS of money - for use in their repairs.

Grandpa had been one of the first business owners to receive their gift-check…and it had been especially generous. Grandpa was planning on renovating the building completely, increasing the size of the store and the variety of its stock in the process, and there would still be plenty of money to spare.

It had seemed like such good fortune to get such a big gift so quickly…until Yugi had seen exactly who 'Seto Kaiba' _really_ was.

'_Do you think...it was as if he was trying to apologize to us, I think..._' Yugi wondered suddenly.

'**_More like a peace offering_**,' Yami replied, '**_Keeping us sweet so we don't suddenly change our mind and seal HIM away somewhere in the dark for thousands of years_**.'

Yugi turned away from the portable TV set - the remnants of the other TV were still stuck under that car bumper in the living room, but this set had escaped damage in the storeroom - and faced Yami. Since Yugi was sitting on his room's only chair, Yami had chosen to lie sprawled out on the bed.

'_Well, if we do see him again, you could at least try being civil_,' Yugi pointed out, '_No going to sulk on the roof like you did when he came by to give Grandpa his check_.'

'_**There was no reason for him to bring it over personally, for publicity or otherwise**_,' Yami retorted, '_**And I do not sulk**_.'

'_Of course not_,' Yugi said agreeably, before reaching over and poking Yami on the shoulder, '_You just find a place to hide so that people can't watch while you pout -_'

With surprising swiftness, Yami seized hold of the offending hand and gave it a tug, pulling Yugi forward and out of the chair. Any worries that Yugi might have formed about the dangers of falling over were immediately silenced when Yami pressed his lips against his. The jolt that this sent ringing up and down their bond was intense, and the kiss only got more heated as Yugi felt the tip of an inquisitive tongue tease its way between his lips…

Drawing things out for as long as possible (air was a cursed _annoyance_ sometimes) Yami reluctantly released Yugi's mouth. Since there were currently _far_ more interesting things to be concerned with besides maintaining his balance, when Yami leaned back onto the bed, Yugi moved with him, landing awkwardly sprawled on top of the mage-demon.

Being the considerate person that he was, Yami made certain to adjust Yugi's position to a more comfortable one, where their bodies were pointing in the same direction. Yami settled back afterwards, satisfied with the conclusion of their little discussion. Yugi's face was bright red and he was taking deep breaths, still more than a little dazed.

A few minutes later, once Yugi's brain finally started working properly again, he looked up at his half-self. The mage-demon was happily lying back, hands tucked behind his head and a sly smirk building on his face. And while this **was** a very pleasant position for the two of them to be in...

'_…Eventually, you're going to have to admit defeat instead of just distracting me whenever I'm winning an argument with you_,' Yugi thought at his half-self, still feeling a little light-headed.

Yami's smirk grew wider.

"Whatever you say, Yugi," Yami replied aloud.

Yugi blinked at the unexpected acquiescence, then nodded.

"That's right, whatever I - mmph!"

A few minute's silence. Then, when they had to part for air (**again**, damn the cursed substance)...

'_...Ya-mi..._'

'**_...I like distracting you._**'

Another blush. This one wasn't from lack of air.

The next one was, though.

…  
…  
…

(GAH! My ending is crap after all!

See ya round the net, everybody!)


End file.
